


That's what makes us ninjas

by kunoichidelahoja



Series: Naruto What If Scenarios [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesia, Loss, Loss of Identity, M/M, Memory Loss, Other, Self-Acceptance, Self-Discovery, Self-Reflection, these two boys are going to go on the journey of their lives
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:01:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 34,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23684314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kunoichidelahoja/pseuds/kunoichidelahoja
Summary: Taking place right after the Kage Summit arc, where Naruto confronts Sasuke. At the moment their signature jutsus meet, the attacks make such a blast that it literally sends both Sasuke & Naruto flying to opposite areas of the Land of Iron. Their severe injuries result in them getting amnesia too; this is their journey of healing their minds and taking second chances.
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Series: Naruto What If Scenarios [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1524251
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	1. Waking up

**Author's Note:**

> Previously posted on Fanfiction.net with the same title.  
> My first multiple chapter fic for the Naruto fandom!
> 
> I've been working on this fic for nearly 2 years! It's a labor of love, the title inspired by one of Sasuke's final lines in the Naruto manga back when it ended in 2014. 
> 
> Disclaimer: the characters in this story were not of my creation. Parts of the story I'm telling aren't of my creation either. I'm just putting my own spin to get it out of my head, this idea has been in my head for well over a year now. The owners of the characters and part of the plot are Masashi Kishimoto, Tv Tokyo, Studio Perriot, etc.
> 
> This story starts off at the Kage Summit arc when Naruto reunites with Sasuke and catches up to Kakashi and saved Sakura already. They charged at each other with their signature Justus: Sasuke's Chidori and Naruto's Rasengan. The story diverges from then on - as we all know (I hope) whenever Naruto and Sasuke clash with their justu, there's a huge blast, for the most part. This time, the resulting blast is so huge it destroys most of the area, injuring Kakashi, Sakura, Karin, killing Zetsu's clone and literally blowing both Naruto and Sasuke away in opposite directions, giving them both severe head trauma with a side of terrible physical injury: broken ribs, concussions, pints of blood loss, etc. As a result, both of our protagonists get amnesia. Sasuke has retrograde amnesia and Naruto has dissociative amnesia. You'll see how they're different and how it affects them and everyone else in the story.

All he could hear was the flowing of the water nearby. It wasn't the rush of a river nor the crash of an ocean, but the light flow of a stream. He would have known if he could see, but the heaviness of his eyelids stopped him. He felt faint as the blood from his body continued to slowly spill out of him. He couldn't even feel pain anymore. He should feel afraid, yet all he was feeling was drowsiness. He knew if he succumbed for a second, he would never awaken.

_Maybe I should -_

"Oh my! Misuto! MISUTO! A young man is lying by the stream! So much blood..." The voice sounded so distant, seeming to belong to an elderly woman.

A second voice sounded like an astounded old man. "The boy is still alive. I can see his chest moving, even if it's just a smidge…no one is ever this lucky…"

"You call this lucky? I can't imagine how much pain this boy must be in…We have to try and save him..."

That was the last thing he heard before darkness overtook him.

* * *

His eyes opened once more, his body awakening from warmth caressing his skin. The pain was still there, but it wasn't as intense as before. Eyes fell upon a window to his right with sunlight shining through the surrounding walls made of solid wood. He felt a softness underneath his body as he lay flat, faceup in clothes he did not recognize. The room was very modest, with a single-window, a small night table, and what seemed to be a cot with a thin mattress he was on top of.

The door opened, with an elderly woman entering the room. She had a kind face that was marred with wrinkles. Liver spots decorated her face like freckles would on a young girl. Her hair was combed in a tight bun. She was short and wide, walking over to the cot with a slow but steady pace. She carried a tray with a teapot brimming with a fresh brew and an accompanying teacup. Gently placing the tray on the night table, she peered down on him with concern.

"Hello, young man," she greeted. "I am Makoto. For a while, I thought we were going to lose you there. How are you feeling?"

It took him a moment to respond, his throat felt remarkably dry. "Sore," was all he could manage as a response.

Makoto poured tea into the cup and slowly took the cup to his lips, so he could drink. He feebly attempted to raise his head, but the pain prevented him from doing so. The aged woman placed the cup against his lips, tipping the tea into his mouth. It was warm and surprisingly went down his throat smoothly. When it reached his stomach, he began to feel better.

"I made sure it wasn't too hot," she explained. "It's an herbal tea, the old way to treat pain and severe wounds."

"You," he cleared his throat to speak better. "You, I remember you," he said weakly. "Your voice…"

She smiled knowingly, "Yes, I found you out by the creek two days ago. It's a half-hour walk from here. You were very much at death's door. I cannot imagine what you had to go through to get into such a sorry state. If you don't mind my asking, what happened to you that put you in such a horrible condition?"

"I… I don't remember." He tried but cannot recall what happened to him. "Actually, I can't remember anything about myself," his chest began to heave in panic. "I don't remember anything… not even my own name." _What the fuck?_ He thought to himself.

The elderly woman put a hand on his chest in an attempt to calm him down. "There, there. You've been through quite the ordeal. While I tended to your wounds, you had very grave injuries all over your body, which you are still healing from. You were bleeding out of everywhere, including your head. Your mind should heal fine along with the rest of your body. But these things take time, you cannot rush it."

"Should? You mean there's a chance I won't regain my memories?" he asked warily.

"Yes," the woman said grimly. "There is always a chance you'll live without regaining your memories, just as likely as the chance that you will regain them someday. As I said, this will take time. I cannot predict how long, as everyone is different. You should be grateful you're even alive. In fact, I believe you shouldn't have even survived. You living after all that is just short of the biggest miracle in history."

He sighed deeply, "What am I supposed to do now?" _Do I have any family? Will they come for me? Would they even try to find me?_

"You wouldn't by chance, be my family?" he dared ask. Makoto shook her head solemnly, a grimace on her lips. "I'm sorry, young one, but I'm not your kin. Nor is my husband. I wish I could help you find them, but without you knowing and us never meeting before, there isn't much I can do. In the meantime, you can stay here with us." The old woman offered. "Us?" he asked.

Just then, an elderly man walked into the room, stopping at the woman's right. He put his arm around her and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. "Misuto," she said affectionately. "Have you come to check on our guest?"

"Yes, I have," Misuto replied. He took a moment to gaze at the young man before him. "My God," he marveled at the young man before him. "I can't believe you're still alive."

"He has no memory of who he is or what happened to him," Makoto mentioned. "Not even his own name, poor thing."

"Well then we'll just have to give him one, won't we?" the old man said. "You don't mind, do you, son?" he asked. The young man shook his head. "It would certainly make things easier if I had a name."

The elder couple pondered for some time lost in thought over a name fitting for the young man in front of them. Makoto seemed to have one, as the sudden expression on her face resembled an "oh!" moment.

"Sutorenja," said Makoto with a smile. "How's that for a name?"

"A mouthful, but it'll do," he replied. "I have a request, though. Can you call me Suto for short?"

"You got it, son," Misuto said with a matching smirk. "You're welcome to stay with us as long as you wish." Suto made a motion to object. "I assure you it isn't a burden for us, the company is refreshing. We finally have something valuable to do with our time," Misuto insisted.

"Thank you," Suto said meekly. He couldn't believe his fortune. Suto may have lost his memories, but he had been saved by an elderly couple who were kind enough to open their home to him. As far as he was concerned, things could be far worse.

* * *

The smell of smoke woke him. Nothing else could be felt but pain. His head was throbbing something fierce. As he dared to open his eyes, a brightness blinded him temporarily, as he adjusted to the light of the sun bearing down upon him. Everywhere he turned, all he saw was a smoldering forest. It seemed he was in a clearing with ruined trees just mere feet away. Beneath and around him were ash, dust, and blackened dirt. Even his skin was dirty with it. He grunted from a quick burst of pain in his forehead. He put his right hand to it, bracing his teeth.

 _Where am I?_ He thought to himself. Then he realized that he couldn't remember anything about himself at all. Not even his own name, or what he looked like. Tears began to well up in his eyes. _Why is this happening to me?_

Unbeknownst to him, there was a noise emerging from behind the burnt trees that people were approaching the clearing. Whoever they are weren't friendly as a chant began to reach the hapless man's ears:

"AKUMA! AKUMA! DEMON OF THE IRON LANDS! HE MUST DIE, HE MUST PAY FOR ALL THE BLOOD HE SHED!"

The chant terrified the young man mistaken for a demon. _Demon? No, no, that's not who I am. I'm not a monster, I can't be._

An ominous chuckle rumbled from within him, putting more fear in his heart. It chilled him to the bone.

"There he is - the Akuma!" a large man with a torch pointed right at him. A small crowd of men was behind him, all armed with torches. Every man looked upon him with such abhorrence he forgot the pain in his body. For the life of him, and he couldn't explain why, but the expressions of hate present on the men's faces were reminiscent to the young one. He shot up on his feet and ran as far as his stinging legs could take him. He stumbled as he made his way through the ruins of the forest, running on pure adrenaline.

"Don't let the Akuma escape! He must pay for his crimes!" he heard behind him over his own rushing heartbeat. He dashed like mad through the grounds, hoping for someplace to hide. A rock whizzed by him. The crowd was starting to throw objects at him to try and slow him down. He found a tree and struggled to climb, all the while, his body reminding him about the pain he was desperately trying to forget. He whimpered frantically as he failed, clawing his way up the bark of the tree.

The chuckle rumbled deeply from within him again, he could feel a smug sense of triumph that he was sure wasn't his own emotion.

 ** _Let me help you, boy. You cannot face them on your own. It is hopeless. Give in to me…_** A deep voice emerged, akin to a demon. _Is that why they're treating me this way?_

"No! No, I don't know what you are. I can't trust you," shaking his head violently he was unaware he was talking to himself.

**_You don't have a choice, after all, you do want to live, don't you?_ **

"There's nowhere to flee now, Akuma." said the large man in front of the crowd. He seemed to be leading the other on the hunt. Torch in hand, another man, handed him a rake and pointed it at the Akuma before them. "We will have our justice today."

"What—what are you talking about? Akuma? I'm not a monster," the supposed Akuma insisted.

"Liar!" A third man exclaimed, "You attacked our village two days ago," the others yelled in agreement.

The apparent Akuma shook his head violently, in utter disbelief of the crowd's accusations. "Why would I hurt you, people?"

"I don't know the mind of a demon, and I don't care to," spoke the leader acidly, "but it was you who hurt our people and destroyed our homes."

"No, I didn't –" the accused Akuma tried to speak, but the crowd wouldn't hear him out. They were adamant in their allegations and ready to hurt, to kill. The hate in each of their eyes was unmistakable. There was no pleading to be had with these people.

**_You only have moments before they begin to hurt you. Decide now, hunt, or be hunted. Kill or be killed._ **

_No, I didn't do anything. This isn't me, this isn't –_

A sudden sense of déjà vu hit the Akuma, with another crowd appearing in his mind. This crowd towered over him, jabbing and yelling at him. They seemed to be so angry at him that they wanted him to disappear, to die. Much like the crowd standing before him.

_Monster, demon!_

_Akuma! Akuma! Demon of the iron lands!_

_Why don't you just die? Disappear! We don't want you here, brat!_

_He must die! He must pay!_

_Go away!_

_A lot of people died because of you!_

_For all the blood he shed!_

**_I'm in control now…_ **

The crowd before the poor Akuma quieted and observed the young one they called a monster. His blue eyes turned red. Nails grew into claws and teeth sharpened to one resembling a hungry beast. Gone was the scared young man. What replaced him was the very thing they suspected him of being.

From then on, all he knew then was darkness, and then nothing.

* * *

It had been a week since Suto awoke. He regained enough strength to rise from the bed but strolled about the humble cabin Misuto and Makoto lived in together. It was slow, but his recovery was progressing well. He got up to the bathroom across the hall from the guest room he was staying in. It was unoccupied, so Suto stood before the mirror to begin. As he got ready for the day, he washed his face with some soap by the sink. As he dried it, he took in his reflection in the mirror.

Suto saw two eyes so dark it rivaled the raven hair growing from his head. He had pale skin with a fair complexion. There were bangs along his forehead, his mane of short length yet messy and spiky. Nevertheless, the hairstyle did not take away from his beauty, for Suto was a beautiful, handsome man. It was a look he wasn't expecting.

"Good morning," Suto was greeted by Makoto, who was brewing a fresh pot of tea for breakfast. Misuto was sitting at the dinner table, polishing a wooden cane. Suto smiled and greeted the elderly couple. "Good morning."

"Hello, young Suto," Misuto said. "How'd you sleep?"

"Better than before," Suto replied, gingerly sitting down on one of the seats opposite Misuto. The pain in his body subsided over a few days after he woke. The tea continuously served by Makoto helped with his injuries and allowed him to sleep as well. Makoto also made a residue for the wounds on his body, gradually healing his skin and ridding those angry red blemishes. Each day that passed, Suto felt himself regain strength. He was beginning to feel like a new man. "I feel myself getting stronger every day. It's all thanks to you, Makoto-san."

Makoto nodded in gratitude, "You flatter me, Suto. You're healing all on your own."

"I wouldn't even be alive if it weren't you both. I know I've said it countless times already, but I can't help myself. Thank you," young Suto gushed. "I can't even imagine how to repay you for everything."

"We're happy to do this, son. It's been a fairly long time since we've had company in this cabin," Misuto replied, waving away the gratitude. The smile plastered upon the elderly man's face was wide enough to pronounce the crow's feet around his brown eyes. He stood up and went over to get his cane. He hobbled over to his wife and kissed her on the cheek.

"Well, I'm off to go to the local markets," he announced. "I'll be back before sundown." he made to leave the cabin.

"Hang on, Misuto-san," Suto spoke. "Can I go with you to the markets?"

"Someone's getting restless," said the old man cheekily.

"I feel it would be better for my body if I walk around a bit. Is the market far?" Suto asked.

"It's a little over an hour away by foot, are you sure you can handle it?" Misuto asked.

"If you keep at a slow pace, it should be fine," assured Makoto. "Be careful, you two."

"And when am I never not careful?" admonished Misuto facetiously. "Let's be off, young Suto."

As they stepped outside, Sutorenja took care to breathe in the fresh air. It was the first time he'd been out of the cabin since he woke. He had to blink several times to adjust to the sunlight casting down upon the pair. It seemed to be midday. "Try to keep up, Suto," Misuto began to walk forward. "Let me know if you need a break."

"Hai, Misuto-san," Suto followed the old man. They made their way to the market at a gradual pace, finally arriving sometime later. The markets were thriving with people, products, and businesses. People of all walks of life, of all ages, seemed to be running around. It was a crowded and very hectic, no one bothered to look at the raven-haired stranger arriving with old man Misuto. Suto went over to sit upon an unattended barrel, set by the docks of the market. In the distance, he noticed there was a bridge. A sensation began to wash over in his brain. It was like a fog lingered upon his psyche, and for a moment, there was a moment of clarity. Words began to sing to him from years ago...

_You'll be bodyguards for somebody..._

_I'm a master bridge builder, and I need to get back to my country even if it means giving up your life..._

_You didn't say there'd be enemy ninja coming after you..._

_Sasuke! Sakura! Get ready..._

_You're making a mistake. You won't be able to keep up with my speed._

_Deceiving your opponent, catching them off-guard is the art of a shinobi..._

_I'm not gonna lose here...cause I have a dream and no one's gonna take it away from me._

_I fight for someone who is precious to me; I live for him, and I face death for him, so that his dream may become a reality. That is my dream, and for the sake of that dream, I will act as a shinobi and take your lives!_

Suto began to feel faint. So many voices were rushing through his mind, he didn't know how much more he could stand of this. His vision was blurry, and his ears couldn't focus on any sound. It was as if the markets faded away, and all these reminiscent voices replaced the area instead. They were surrounding him as if he were stuck in the vortex of a tornado of memories.

_You always...get in the way... Naruto...don't let your dream die._

No air could reach his lungs. There was a pounding upon Suto's head like he never felt before. He could feel someone approach him but couldn't determine who it was. His mind was too focused upon these visions of the past.

_Why did you save me? Why did you do it?_

_I don't know why I just did..._

* * *

"Suto, Suto! Please wake up young Suto, snap out of it, kid!"

Naru-to. Who was Naruto?

"He's completely out of it."

And who was Sasuke? Was it he, was it Suto?

"Somebody get a medic! Is anyone here a medic?"

Sasuke, the name sounded right. It felt familiar.

"Here have him smell this," someone said. The most potent odor of what seemed like thyme made young Suto open his eyes.

"Young Suto," Misuto stood over him, worry sweating through his expression. Suto found himself on flat his back, the pain in his head subsiding. "What happened?" the young one asked.

"It seemed you fainted," Misuto began to explain. "You nearly fell into the water by the docks. Can you stand up?"

Suto nodded as he slowly got up off the floor. The pain subsided from his head, and as he looked around, concerned onlookers crowded Suto and Misuto.

"You were whispering things, it was a bit hard to hear due to the commotion," Misuto stated. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes," Suto replied. "I had a searing headache, but it's gone now. I was whispering things?"

"Yes, you were, you looked a fright," Misuto said, not looking at Suto but the spot where he collapsed. "It was so eerie."

_I didn't have time to think. My body just moved on its own._

_Naruto_

"What?" Suto asked, snapping out of his reverie.

"You were saying Naruto, I think. You kept repeating it over and over. It sounded like you were referring to a person, perhaps one from your past," Misuto said. He turned towards the end of the market in the direction of his cabin. "I think its best if we went home. I got what we came for anyway. Are you good to start heading back?"

"Yes, I think so," Suto replied. As they began heading back to the cabin, Suto tried thinking of someone by the name of Naruto. But as much as he tried to remember, he just couldn't. He kept coming up with blanks.

"Misuto-san?" Suto spoke. "Yes?" the elder man replied.

"I think my name was Sasuke."

* * *

He was sitting under a tree, shivering from the cold as the rain poured upon the land. He wrapped his arms around his legs to try and generate some warmth, but to no avail. His stomach was crying from starvation, he couldn't remember even eating since he woke up the weeks ago. He didn't even know how he was still alive at this point. After the mob chased him in the woods, he blacked out. When he came back from unconsciousness, he woke up alone once more, but in another location. He checked to see if he had been hurt, but apparently, he got away unscathed. However, the lingering taste of metal in his mouth and reddish hue of his hands didn't ease his fears. Especially when he couldn't recall how they came about. He hadn't seen those people since; in fact, it seemed where he awoke the second time was completely different from the previous area. Thankfully, he hadn't heard that strange voice from the other day since the mob chased him.

Since the confrontation, he mainly kept away from people out of fear of being attacked again. He wandered around forests, woods, and marshes. He tried catching some fish and failed, finding it exceptionally difficult to pick any with his bare hands. Each tree and bush he walked by would surprisingly lack any fruit or nuts. He didn't want to light fires to avoid attracting attention. As time passed, though, the need to go to a town was becoming more of a necessity. If he kept this up, he'd starve to death alone. He shivered once more at the thought. Dying in solitude. Something about loneliness was so familiar yet terrifying. Even scarier than angry mobs or demonic voices in his head. And still, he couldn't remember a single part of his past. His name was again coming up with a blank. No memory of family or home, not even a clue. The light was starting to fade from the sky, signaling the beginning of the night in these woods. He'd try getting food again tomorrow. For now, he would attempt to sleep, trying to keep his mind off the cold creeping into his body. Ironically, animals that lurked nearby always stayed away from the young man with no memories. Yet, their avoidance increased that feeling of loneliness. Not even wild animals wanted to be with him. It filled him with sadness and sorrow...

_He dreamt of a town, ordinary as can be, with families and councils and businesses run by its citizens. The village had a park and a lake and a vast forest, along with a school, filled with children. The town was peaceful, and its people seemed to be good. But only seemed, for there was darkness upon that town. Few knew it was there, and even fewer acknowledged its existence. This town used people, used the pain of a few to benefit others, and everyone was none the wiser..._

The rays of the sun moved his eyes to open, two hours after dawn. Birds sang a sweet tune all around him as he walked about the forest. He heard a rush of water not too far ahead. He figured he could go and splash some water on his face, then be on his way. He squatted down on by the riverbank and looked up at the sky. There was no indication of rain up above, just clear blue sky and the sun bearing down upon everything below. The light felt so warm; it must be like what he imagines a hug to feel like. He turned to face the water below, rushing on past him as the current controlled its pace and direction. He was taken aback by what he saw, staring back at him.

He had blonde hair growing out of his head, with matching eyebrows. His eyes were as blue as the sky above him; they were striking against his tan-colored skin. He had whisker-like marks on his face, three on each side. Were they scars? Birthmarks? He touched them gingerly while still looking at his reflection. They didn't feel like scars. He took some water and washed his face several times. It seemed they couldn't be washed away. Whatever they were, it was a part of him as the rest of his body. He didn't like it; it made him seem feral. Like a monster, like the Akuma, he was accused of being. He cupped some more water with both hands and prepared to gulp it down. When he was finished, he stood up to walk away.

Behind him, he heard someone walking towards him. He immediately felt a sense of anxiety, but the space was so open, there was no time to hide. He turned to look at the person, and before him, he saw a small boy. The child was looking directly at him, and he started to panic.

"Hi," the boy piped up.

"Um, hi," he responded. Was the boy alone? Would there be others with him?

"What's your name?" asked the little boy.

"Uh," he uttered nervously, as he still failed to remember his name. "My name is Tasei," the boy said. "What are you doing here?" Tasei questioned. The boy looked at him with a curious expression. "I, I – I'm just,"

"Tasei," another voice spoke this time, belonging to a man much older. Behind some bushes emerged a man bearing a resemblance to the small boy. They seemed to be father and son. "I told not to wander off -" the man stopped and took notice. "Oh, hello there." the man greeted in a friendly tone.

The young Akuma couldn't speak, as the nerves worsened. All he could think was, _will they try to hurt me too?_ Last time, he didn't get a chance to defend himself. He scanned widely around the area for ways to run. The erratic behavior caught the man's attention and piqued the little Tasei's curiosity.

"Where you are coming from, son?" asked the older man gently. His eyes were different than the others, the Akuma noted. They had a soft sincerity to them, kindness was the word he was looking for. It was a breath of fresh air.

"I," the young blonde realized he didn't even know where he was or where he came from. He inhaled deeply out of frustration. He was tired of this constant state of not knowing anything about himself.

"Son?" the father asked again, this time with concern.

The young Akuma started to hyperventilate out of this overwhelming sense of helplessness. "I," he breathed, "I don't know," he began to sob. "I don't know anything; I don't know my name or where I come from or where I live, and a bunch of people chased me around for something I don't know about, and I've been out here for days and-" he stopped, finally running out of air to breathe and speak. The father held up a hand to stop the poor Akuma. "Breathe son, come here and sit with us, we have some food leftover from having breakfast," the man grabbed his child by the hand and gestured the Akuma to follow. It seemed that where he was now, the Akuma was finally catching a break.


	2. Adjusting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To recap: Sasuke & Naruto lost their memories from the fight they had just outside the 5 Kage Summit. Sasuke has been saved by an old couple who call him Suto (short for Sutorenja, meaning stranger in Japanese according to Google Translate) and Naruto is on his own trying to survive, labeled Akuma (meaning demon in Japanese, also according to Google Translate)

The crackling fire before him was welcoming to the Akuma, as were the father and son he encountered earlier. He got to eat some cooked fish that the two were kind enough to share with him and some bread they got from a market some miles away. The father and son duo were traveling around the land for the son's benefit so he could learn about the world and what it had to offer. When they finished their meal, the father and little Tasei began packing their things so they could continue onwards. The father explained to the Akuma where the markets were so he could get more food. What the Akuma neglected to point out was that he had no coin to buy things with, but he didn't want to push it. He had a feeling that these two would be the kindest to him in the next few days.

"Thank you so much for the food. I didn't know if I was ever going to eat again," the Akuma said. It caused a sad expression on the father's face. The man put his hand on the young Akuma, who flinched for a second but then relaxed, realizing it was a gesture of comfort. He was taken aback by this man's kindness. Why can't others be more like him?

"Keep your chin up," said the father encouragingly. "No doubt you've had hard days, and you may have some more ahead, but don't lose hope. Everyone gets it hard sometimes, even when it looks like they don't, they do. Adversity is a part of life, just like love and joy. Think of it as a test to pass." The father made a face as if he were considering something but then thought against it. "I wish I could spare you some money, but I'm afraid we spent it all getting here. I'm taking Tasei back home, we've just about wrapped up our travels. I'm sorry, son." The apologetic look was genuine on his face, something that the one called Akuma couldn't deny.

"It's okay," he accepted quietly, not looking the man in the eyes. He didn't want to show his disappointment. He was thinking about asking the two to travel with him, but he just didn't have the nerve to do it out of fear of rejection or worse. "I'll just remember what you said," he said more so to himself than the father before him.

"Welp, we best be on our way now," the father said, putting on his backpack and helping his child with his tiny pack. "You take care now." The father, with his son Tasei, who waved at the sad Akuma who remained rooted to the spot, holding back tears. What he wanted to say was that he'd never known love or joy in the days since the blonde awoken. He doubted that he felt any in the days before he lost his memories. What he also wanted to say was that it'd be much easier to suffer and stumble around if he had someone with which to share the pain and the fears within himself.

"Will he be okay, dad?" Tasei said when they were far away.

"I don't know, son," the father said, looking ahead, "I don't know."

Suto stopped to breathe in the fresh air surrounding him as he was helping Makoto with her tiny garden just behind the cabin. They'd been at it all morning now, as Makoto wanted to use some of the vegetables growing for lunch and dinner. They finished harvesting the greens. Currently, they were working on the tomatoes.

"Thank you so much for helping me, Suto," Makoto said as she picked some tomatoes from her garden. She paused to wipe some sweat from her forehead. "It's great to finally get some help with this. Misuto always wants to help me, but with his knees, it'd do more harm than good to him."

"Not at all," Suto replied. "It's the least I can do after letting me stay so long," Suto had been staying well over two months now. His body was completely healed now, he was always helping out the generous elderly couple around their humble home. Suto would tend to the garden with Makoto, go fishing with Misuto and try fixing a few parts of the cabin as well. He wanted to do all that he could for them. He was just so grateful for their help and their food. Not once did either one of the two ask or even bring up the subject of Suto leaving.

Suto and Makoto finished with the garden and went back inside the cabin. He insisted on helping Makoto prepare the food in any way he could, so she had him chop up the vegetables while she went to work on the grain. An hour later, Misuto arrived with some fish he caught by the river. Not long after that, Makoto was finished cooking their meal. Suto set the plates while the elderly couple went to clean up. They all sat down and said their grace together and began to eat their dinner. The food Makoto prepared was flavorful, and as Suto dug in, he tasted something quite familiar. He paused as he took in the essence of the food. It caught Makoto's attention.

"Is something wrong, Suto?" Makoto asked.

"No, it's... it's the tomato," Suto said absentmindedly. "I think I had tomatoes often before I lost my memories." Despite the significant healing his body underwent, his mental condition was still an issue. He barely made any progress in recovering his memories since that day at the market. He kept going over the thoughts that went through his head but couldn't make any sense of it. Since then, he could only remember little things; he didn't like sweet things, Suto enjoyed rice balls (Makoto made some last week, which was delicious) and the raven found he could do many things as well with his right hand as he could with the left. He was more of a night person, something about the moon held some significance to him he couldn't place yet. It was all so vexing. Why can't I remember? He thought angrily. Suto would have said it out loud, but he didn't want to upset Makoto or Misuto.

Makoto shared an expression of empathy for Suto's struggles. "I'm sorry," she apologized.

"No, remembering this is better than nothing," Suto said with a sigh, "but why can't I remember everything? Why does this have to be so hard? I just want to know who I am." He ran his hands through his hair from frustration.

"These things do take time, Suto," Makoto said, placing a hand on the young raven's to console him. "I wish there was something we could do to help."

Suto lost his appetite, no longer bearing to eat more food. "So do I," he said with defeat in his voice. Suto stood up to go back to his room down the hallway. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'm just going to go to bed," he thanked Makoto for the food curtly and went back to his room and quickly shut the door.

The elderly couple exchanged glances of concern at one another.

Later on, well into the night, Suto lay in his bed, staring up the ceiling of his room. He had no sense of tracking the passage of time, but judging how languid his body felt, it certainly felt like hours had passed by. The young raven was trying to fight off his grogginess. Suto was trying to focus on remembering his memories. He didn't want to burden the old couple, but ever since that day at the market, Suto would lie in his bed each night, wracking his brain over and over to trigger more memories from his past. He had yet to make any more progress, and it was driving him mad. But eventually, he'd induce a migraine which he could get rid of by sleeping it off. Tonight was no different.

 _It is hopeless_ , Suto thought sadly. At this rate, he'd never recover his memories or find out about his past or identity.

There was this big expanse of water before him, as he swung his skinny little child legs that hung off the edge of the dock before him. He couldn't remember for the life of him, but he felt lonely and sad. There was a profound emptiness emanating from his soul.

Suddenly he felt eyes on him, burning into his back. He turned and saw a boy, with messy blonde hair and cerulean blue eyes that were so bright they twinkled like stars in the night sky. Yet they had a sense of great sadness and desperation to them. Of sorrow. The boys exchanged a glance for moments that seemed to last longer than the time actually that went on. It seemed like the blonde boy wanted to sit at the edge of the water, too, but he turned his head and kept walking away. There was a sad little movement where his shoulders moved downwards, as if in defeat and shame at his actions. At his pride.

Suto opened his eyes, and the sun shone in from the window. The morning had come, like an unwelcome visitor. He was already in a grouchy mood. The grouchiness itself felt familiar. He should have felt happy about that, yet he didn't.

He went out of his room, but not bothering to enter the bathroom. He sought out Makoto, who was already in the kitchen, brewing some morning tea.

"Makoto!" Suto blurted out. She jumped at the sound of his voice. He regretted it and wanted to apologize but focused on the matter at hand. He couldn't forget his dream. He wouldn't.

"Do you have a pen or paper? Anything to write with?" he asked with great urgency.

"Why, yes," the elderly woman responded, slightly alarmed. "It's in the drawer right over there." She pointed to the drawers to the left of her, just beneath the kitchen counter. He rummaged through the drawer like a madman and gripped the pen and paper he found tightly. He wrote like a man possessed recalling every detail he could from his dream last night. When he was done, only then did he dare breathe a sigh of relief. He turned to look at Makoto with both gratitude and repentance.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "It's just that I started to remember some more things from my past. At least I think I did..." Suto mentioned with a tinge of doubt. "I didn't want to forget it." He described his dream from last night to Makoto. Makoto quietly listened to Suto's words with a completely impartial expression.

"I see…" the woman said in thought. "Are you sure it wasn't just a dream?"

"No," Suto shook his head violently. "It felt so real, more real than anything since I've woken up."

"Sometimes, dreams can feel real, even feel familiar like things you've lived through before..." Makoto began to say, but Suto shook his head adamantly.

"This was different. I know it," Suto said with conviction. He kept thinking about the blonde kid he saw. For some reason, every time he pictured that little boy's face, the word Naruto would come up as if associating it with that kid. Could that have been the boy's name? Suto inferred that since he was a small boy in the dream, it must have been a memory from his childhood. He remembered the way he was feeling in the dream itself. He felt lonely and sad, profoundly so. Something must have happened before that memory. But what could have it been? Was it so terrible that Suto couldn't remember? Was it so traumatizing that his brain would shrink from the chance at every opportunity of recovering his memories? Maybe that was it; deep down, he was scared to remember, afraid of what he might uncover in the quest to reclaim his former identity.

What could have happened that was so bad that Suto didn't want to remember?

* * *

Just down the hill, there was a little town below, with a market teeming with goods, including food. His stomach rumbled with glee instead of the typical desperation. Now all he had to worry about was how to get some food without causing trouble. Maybe he could try working to earn some quick cash. Yet he couldn't recall ever working before.

Ironically though, he could remember the sensation of being hungry in his life from before the time he lost his memories. The time he had a name.

It was agony living like this; he felt as if he weren't alive at all. He didn't even have a name yet...he couldn't remember what it was for the life of him. He was trying so hard. He merely existed in the world, wandering without anyone to notice or care enough to stand by him or to help him through the darkness.

His mind went to a small boy with messy blonde hair and bright blue eyes sobbing uncontrollably as a crowd surrounded him, pointing fingers and whispering behind the kid's back. All the eyes of the people in the group looked at him with disdain, their desperation to be rid of him so desperate it was palpable and affected the boy something awful.

Would the people in the market below treat him the same? Or would they show some kindness and benefit of the doubt, like the father and his son? He was unsure, some people were kind, and others were consumed by fear and hate.

His stomach rumbled angrily. He had to get down there, dawdling around wasn't going to achieve anything. He hesitantly made his way down the hill towards the market in the town. At first, no one paid him no mind as he made his way through the markets, everyone engaged in the goods they were buying or selling. An odor wafted over to his nose, intensifying the hunger within tenfold. It was crippling, and yet there was a familiarity to the smell. It made him think of salty noodles flavored with scallions, pork, and one final ingredient that eluded his taste buds. And just like his name, he could not remember what the dish was called. He tried following the scent to its sources, but none of the stands at the market had labels. His mouth began to salivate at the delicious waft teasing his nostrils. It was torture for his empty stomach. The vendor noticed his hunger and smiled encouragingly, waving him over and was offered a sample to taste. It was warm and delightfully tasteful. He almost wanted to cry from the sheer joy of eating. He thanked the vendor and kept walking.

After walking around the markets, he managed to get more samples from more vendors of the food stations. He wasn't full, but he wasn't starving anymore, either. He made it a point to not be stopped by anyone, though, or engage in conversation. He didn't want to get hurt again. He didn't want to get chased.

The last sample he got was a steaming cup of a freshly brewed cup of tea. He sat down on a barrel away from the crowd, focusing his eyes on the cup he was holding. While he was waiting for the tea to be just warm enough to sip, he began to overhear conversations being held around him. Luckily, nobody noticed him while he was close enough to eavesdrop.

"Did you hear what happened over in Tetsumura? I heard this large creature killed everyone over there…"

"Don't be silly, you make it sound as if it was a monster or something."

"I don't know what it was, but I heard there weren't even bodies left, just blood and bones…"

He tensed up at what he was hearing. He wanted to shake his head at the words people were saying. Blood and bone, no no, no. That wasn't me, it was that thing.

 **You know I do have feelings** , said thing spoke in a derisive tone. The blonde jumped at the voice within.

He felt something smile smugly inside him. He wanted to scream, he wanted to vomit. He wanted to take a knife and tear out his insides and wrench that monster out of him, even if it killed him. It was all their fault that this was happening, but he was getting punished for it. How could life be so cruel to him, cursing him with this body, this thing living in him like a demon?

 **That's right** , it spoke once more. **I'm back.**

The woeful Akuma wanted to talk back to this monster inside him but didn't want to attract attention to himself. Suddenly the markets and people around him faded away. He was plunged into a dark atmosphere that felt quite moist and felt water at his feet. For a moment he panicked confused as to where he was and how abruptly he ended up here. Then he noticed far off an extensive set of bars with an equally large paper seal centered on them. It was the only thing he could make out. Behind those bars was absolute darkness, but the Akuma knew that the reason he was called such was there, lurking, watching him like prey.

"Are you a demon?" the young Akuma asked loudly. There was an echo to his voice in this space. It must have been even more massive than what he could make out in this dimly lit place.

"Hmph. That would make sense to you, wouldn't it?" was the response he received with a brimming tone of resentment. The timbre of its voice was so deep and loud he could feel it on his skin.

"Then, what are you? Why are you here? What is going on? Why is this happening to me?" the young blonde asked desperately. The louder he got, the longer the echoes would last.

"So many questions. As if I'm going to answer any of them," huffed the deep voice in the dark acidly.

The young Akuma wrenched at his hair in frustration. "Are you kidding me?!" he yelled exasperatedly. "I'm going through all of this shit because of you," he pointed at the bars violently. "I'm getting blamed for shit I didn't even do, people are saying blood and bones are left, that people died -"

"What makes you think I did it?" the voice cut off. "Maybe it was you."

Shaking his head frantically, he said, "No, no, that wasn't me. I'm not capable of that."

"That? What is that exactly? You don't even know what happened. And how would you know? You don't even remember your own name. You don't know a thing about yourself anymore. Maybe you hurt people and don't remember that either." The voice suggested unaffectedly.

"LIAR!" screamed the young one at the top of his lungs. His voice cracked while doing so. The place became so quiet, the air itself went still as did the water at his feet.

"How sad you are, you can't even tell," a bone-chilling laugh pervaded throughout the area. Then as sudden as the place appeared, it disappeared, and the young blonde was back among the markets. By some streak of dumb luck, no one noticed the blonde yet. It took him some moments to collect himself. Was that even real? He didn't even know anymore. Thinking it over, being possessed by a demon was just silly. Maybe he just fell asleep and had a nightmare. However, he was very much awake as the sweat on his forehead reinforced that fact. And still, he couldn't remember any of his memories. Voices, external ones this time began to reach the Akuma's ears once more.

"No one has seen Sasuke Uchiha in weeks now. Do you think he died?"

Good riddance, he heard something grumble in response.

"There goes the Uchiha clan…"

"I heard Naruto Uzumaki has been missing too, shame he was so promising..."

"So young too, it's always those ninjas, they always end up dying."

Ninjas, he thought over that word. Ninjas. What a foreign concept to the worn Akuma. He knew no more about ninjas than he did his own identity. It was odd. He got the faintest feeling he was missing something important.

He looked up and noticed that the sun was starting to set once again. Another day was ending, and while still alive, he was just managing to scrape by with his life. It was a miserable existence. What could he have done that was so terrible to warrant such a cursed life? He trudged out of his little corner onto his feet, which promptly felt quite sore. It was unclear what his exact age was, but he felt so incredibly old. He was haggard and broken. As he made his way, all the vendors were hurriedly cleaning up and closing their shops. Their work was done for the day, and another awaited them tomorrow. How wonderful for them to actually look forward to things with hope, joy, and enthusiasm. If only he could know those feelings.

He saw little children running up to older people and realized that the older ones must have been their parents. Another alien concept to him. Family. He sighed begrudgingly, looking at his feet as he walked on at a painfully slow pace. He didn't even know where he was walking to. He didn't have anywhere to go. He didn't have a home. Not one he'd remember anyway. How much time had passed since he awoke that first horrible day? He couldn't recall that either. It could have been a week or a year. Time and memory were notions he feared he could never understand at this point. Maybe he never would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kurama can be such an asshole when he wants to be, won't even help poor Naruto. He's really spiraling, isn't he?


	3. Solitude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And just like that a whole year passes by...

Just like that, a whole year flew by. Sometimes Suto would take a moment to think it over, pondering over where the time went. All the months that went on were like a haze of routine. When he wasn't out in the garden with Makoto, he was fishing with Misuto. Every so often, the cabin would need work, and naturally, Suto offered to help the best he could. They found out after Suto's body healed that he was quite limber. He had terrific reflexes, incredible speed, remarkable agility, and nimble fingers. Over time, Suto felt a restlessness. If he could not heal his mind, he would strengthen his body. Suto wouldn't go far, running around the small area surrounding the cabin. Sometimes he would run for hours on end. Other times the raven would exercise in different ways; pushups, sit-ups, pull-ups on a sturdy branch of a tree by the cabin. It all felt so familiar to him, he didn't even have to think about it. It was instinctual to him. Once where there was flabby skin, there was now hard muscle. Suto was a tall, lean, strong man, a far cry from the man he was right after the accident.

And still, he could not remember his old life. He barely made any progress since the incident at the market. Only subtle insignificant things would pop up into his head. Fires were comforting and empowering to him, as was lightning. He would dream about snakes, he was handy with ropes, chains, and knives. He seemed to be well adept at using both of his hands for most tasks. July 23rd was a meaningful day to him, could it have been his birthday? He was sure that by this point, he would never remember his past. After all, how could he remember? He wasn't in his home, and he had no family or had anyone around him who knew him as he was before, before he was Suto.

He supposed at this point, it didn't matter so much anymore. It wasn't as if he was hungry or in danger. He had a roof over his head, the elder couple who healed his injuries had welcomed him into their home. They treated Suto as if they were kin. It was a gentle, simple existence Misuto and Makoto had in their humble abode, and they were willing to share it with young Suto. Pleasant conversations and laughs at the table, peaceful memories of fishing and gardening. If it weren't for his memory loss, if he had been their kin, Suto would say he had a home here, with them. In another world, another lifetime, he might have been happy and thought nothing of the world. But Suto didn't belong here. He already had a life, one he couldn't remember, but Suto had it, and he couldn't just abandon it for this easy one. That isn't who he was. There was only one thing left to do.

He had to leave. He had to find his home.

He was up hours before dawn, contemplating how best to break his decision to the elderly couple. He didn't want to seem ungrateful or hurt their feelings. They really were accustomed to his presence. They never actually talked about Suto leaving in all the time he had been here with them. He hoped that there would be no bad blood between them after the conversation was had. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt the people that saved his life.

He went outside of his room and immediately sensed the eerie silent atmosphere of the cabin. Usually, Makoto was up and running, getting ready for the day, and cooking breakfast. Misuto would be getting ready for the day, as well. Both were early risers, waking not long after sunrise. The young raven looked upon the couple's bedroom door. He never went into the room, and he certainly didn't want to at the moment. Suto didn't want to intrude.

He went on to the bathroom and got ready for the day. When he was done, he headed to the kitchen, gathering fruit in a bowl to eat. He grimaced at the thought of eating the sweet food before him, but it's not as if he could be picky. That would be incredibly childish.

Suto ate his fruit as he looked out of the window, observing the multicolored hues of the sky. The sun was rising, halfway there, emitting a yellow-orange tint around the emerging light, as well as colors mauve and blue were above taking up most of the heavens. It was slowly giving way to the sunlight as it made its way up into the sky, signaling the beginning of the day. The young Suto stood entranced by the colors of the heavens, and time went away. It wasn't until the sun had fully risen that Suto realized how quiet the cabin still was. He looked over Misuto & Makoto's bedroom door once more. What could be going on?

He walked over to their door. He knocked on the door three times. No response. He did it again, "Misuto? Makoto? Are you awake?" Still, no response. Worry crept into his mind. They were old people, but he didn't consider the possibility that – no, no, they were active; it couldn't be their time yet.

Only one way to find out. He had to open the door and check on them. At the moment, as he grabbed the doorknob, Suto felt an ominous sense of deja-vu. It was as if once before in his life before he lost his memories, there was a moment where he opened a door and saw something terrible. Something shocking. Something soul-shattering.

_"Brother, father, and mother are -"_

_"Foolish little brother."_

His head began to hurt more than any pain he has remembered feeling in recent memory. He gasped at the intense, uncomfortable sensation. Suto grabbed at the sides of his face, his fingers on his temples, but it was useless. All he could do was ride out the agony until it was over. The young raven sunk to his knees, powerless and at the mercy of his own body. It took all he had not to scream. Suto leaned against the door before him for support, the only thing stopping him from falling to the floor.

_"I don't wanna die!"_

_"Cling to your wretched life and then one day, when you possess the same eyes, come back and face me."_

Screams, he couldn't see any more or feel aside from pain. All he could do was listen, and what he heard were screams. Loud horrible cries of a tortured soul. And then he opened his eyes. Suto realized the screams he was hearing was him.

What's happening to me, to my mind? Who was I before? Whatever that was, it was terrible. I don't want to remember, not if that was all my life was. Suffering like that, I cannot bear that. Not again.

_"Big brother, what have you done?"_

"No! I don't want to remember anymore!" Suto said aloud, no longer caring if he disturbed Makoto or Misuto. He writhed on the floor like a mad man possessed. The door opened with the elderly couple rushing to his aid, but Suto paid them no attention. The pain from his head spread to the rest of his body as if he were on fire.

_"Why are you doing this?"_

_"You're not even worth killing."_

"Suto, young Suto please," Misuto tried to console the raven-haired youth, but it was no use. Once more adrift in his memories, but now lost at sea in the middle of a maelstrom.

"AH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Makoto knelt down beside them. She looked at her husband, "Hold his arms down," she instructed. Misuto did as he was told as best he could manage. The elderly woman reached out and stroked young Suto's hair. He kept screaming, but he wasn't moving as much. "Listen to me, Suto, listen to my voice. You're here with us at the cabin. Whatever you see, it's past. It cannot hurt you anymore. You're safe, you're with us." She said loud enough to be heard over the yells but in a voice that attempted to soothe the young man. She continued to calm him by touching him repeatedly, stroking his head, speaking kind words in a firm voice to bring him back to reality. It took some time, but eventually, Suto became serene. His eyes were closed as his breathing was calm and even.

Afterward, the elderly couple helped Suto up onto his feet. The three of them walked over to the kitchen table. Makoto went over to make some tea for Suto. Misuto sat by Suto as the young raven sat quietly, going over the memories triggered in his mind.

"Do you feel better young Suto?" Misuto asked with concern.

"I'm starting to," he replied absentmindedly. He had a brother. A brother who did not mean well based on the memory. And his parents? Something happened to them. Did they die? Is that why no one had come for him? Was his brother still out there? It was strange. In that recollection, his brother was a threat to his life, and he felt fear towards him, yet no animosity. Not hatred, but sorrow when thinking about his brother. What could have been his name?

"Son," the older man spoke, placing his hand on Suto's forearm to snap the young one out of his reverie. "That was quite a fright you gave us today. You were saying you didn't want to remember. All you've wanted this past year is to regain your memories and cure your amnesia. Now you don't want to?" He maintained eye contact with Suto, trying to get answers for the earlier episode.

"I heard some things," Suto looked away, back upon the table's wooden patterns. "A young boy in fear, in danger. The younger boy, I think, was me. He, I, have-had a brother. He was doing bad things, he was hurting me. Something happened to my parents. But I do not remember what or how." He quickly put his palm to his forehead, hissing loudly. "I cannot remember their faces. I can only recall his voice."

"What brought all this on?" Misuto asked. Makoto was chopping some herbs while water brewed in the tea kettle. She was facing the kitchen window, her back to her husband, and Suto.

"Well," Suto said, pondering over that question, "it was the thought of you two dying."

Makoto stopped chopping, standing completely still as if she had become a statue. She continued to look out the window, not daring to look at Misuto. Her husband's face darkened at what the raven-haired youth just said. The old man put his wrinkled hands together, bringing to his face and covering his mouth.

"What makes you say that?" the man asked quietly.

"I was up early this morning, and I noticed neither of you was up yet like you usually are. I thought it was odd, but I didn't want to bother you, but then so much time had passed, so I started to worry. I was just about to knock on the door when the memories began to hit me." Suto explained, looking from Misuto to his wife.

The elderly man nodded solemnly over the explanation and put his hands flat on the table before him. He was contemplating something, which worried Suto but did not question the man's actions. He wanted to wait for what the old man had to say.

With a deep inhale, he said, "Well, young Suto, that will very much be a reality sooner rather than later," he admitted. "About a year before we found you by the river, we found that we were sick with a disease for which there is no cure. It's not contagious, so you don't have to worry about contracting it. As for how we got sick, well, let's just say that things we did in our lives early on finally caught up with us. That's as much as we want to say about the matter. The point is that we've been fighting it off for as long as we can, but there's only so much medicine, diet, and fresh air can do for aging human bodies." Misuto sat back and looked at the wall across from him, smiling as he continued speaking. "Taking care of you has been such a nice distraction, believe it or not. We may be old, but spending time with you was the greatest gift we could have asked for. Learning of your upcoming end is like getting a death sentence that one is forced with waiting for. You, young Suto, made the waiting a little bit easier, and for that, we have gratitude that will never die, even when we do."

Suto felt as if someone took a knife and stabbed him deep into his core. His eyes felt watery. He blinked many times to stop the tears that wanted to spill. Makoto remained still, not moving an inch while all this was happening, but Suto didn't have to look upon her face to know that she was crying.

"How long?" was all that the raven-haired young man could manage in a throaty voice.

"At this point, not long. No more than two weeks, if that." Misuto replied with a look of pure sorrow.

"Will -will it be painful?" he asked.

"No," the old man shook his head. "The way the disease has been progressing is that our bodies slow down gradually, including our vital organs. We sleep longer and longer, and one day we'll just never wake up again. We'll die in our sleep."

Silence had never been so deafening in the cabin until this moment, as all three people in it looked away from each other in different directions.

"You can keep the house, of course." Misuto piped up.

"No." Suto refused.

"Really, its-"

"No," he refused again. He smiled ironically. "I was planning on telling you both that I was going to leave in search of my family and try to cure my amnesia. But I don't think I have any family left in the world, and now you two..." Suto broke off, doing his best to keep it together without breaking down. How was it still morning, and so much has happened in such a small amount of time? It felt like ages already. "And now I'm going to lose you both too."

"I'm sorry, Suto," Misuto said, with the utmost sincerity. "I wish things could be different."

"So do I, Misuto," Suto said. "So do I."

* * *

He couldn't even remember how much time had passed at this point. Weeks turned to months, and months stretched onwards to a year. Or was it years? Perhaps it didn't matter anymore. Misery was misery, regardless of time. All the time that did pass by did nothing to recover his lost memories, his forgotten life. And why bother mourning something he didn't know about? For all he knew, his life could have been just as deplorable as his life now. He felt more ghost than human these days anyhow. He explored many towns and villages throughout the lands. When he wasn't being harassed for being different or an outsider, he was starving and ignored like the homeless wanderer he was. Few felt enough pity to offer him food here and there, but more often than not, the days ended with an empty stomach verging on painful cramps of hunger. His body was more haggard from the lack of proper nutrition, restless nights, and endless travel.

As his body healed and the world turned each day, further and further hope would die just a little more. He walked the lands in search of something that would trigger anything that could help him remember his life. He couldn't even recall his name after all the time that passed. Nothing could make him remember. All he could go by was Akuma, the demon of the Iron lands. Not that he ever bothered sharing that title with anyone he came across. Thankfully, whatever it was that lived within his body behaved itself, so the terrible legend lost its fervor and attention. Fewer people looked upon the young man with distrust and wariness. Though the young blonde was suspicious as to why it would do so. On occasion, it would endeavor to appease the poor lad's anger, sadness, and resentment to gain control over his body. It was his stubborn will that stopped him from giving in to the mysterious entity. However, the responses he got from his rejection disturbed him greatly.

**_It doesn't matter. Sooner or later, I will regain control, and all will be sorry. Sooner or later, I will be free…and then what will you do, other than being forced to witness everything I do, instead of me being cursed to watch you roam aimlessly everywhere._ **

Sometimes the being would tempt in other ways, such as claiming to know who he really was. All he had to do was let the demon fox take control of his body every so often. But how could the young blonde trust the word of this evil presence? He could be lying. Besides, what kind of name was Naruto anyway?

Maybe he was being punished for something he did before his accident, some transgression that brought forth the wrath of a deity or force. Who knew? Half the time, he would think things that made no sense as a desperate attempt to explain all desolation he was burdened with. The other half of the time, he'd believe hurtful things that did nothing to help his situation, but they'd come rushing through his mind like a comet out of the cosmos. Sometimes he felt he deserved what he was going through. When he'd think that, there was this instinctual anger that would surface as some sort of defense, armor to keep his will alive. No, he didn't deserve this. These feelings of constant helplessness and solitude, the persecution for acts he didn't commit, the lack of family, having no friends or home. He didn't deserve any of it.

What made all this worse was the fact that everywhere the Akuma went, there were families. Families of all sorts; mothers and fathers with their children, elderly people with their young kin, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles with their nieces and nephews. They were all so content with being in someone else's company. It made the wretched Akuma feel invisible and undeniably alone. At this point that he realized that nothing was tying him to this world. No family, no friends. No one to love and no one to love him. Now that he thought it over, he did not know what it felt to smile, laugh, or feel positive emotions. Even if he did, he had no one to share it with, not even the negative ones. His body shivered at the realization. Maybe if he had someone, life would be bearable.

It was night now. The moon shone down upon the world. The blonde looked up to the sky, and as he did, he wondered if it ever felt as lonely as he did.

The solitude was beginning to be more than he could bear. It was like a weight bringing him down. He felt as if he were adrift in a quiet sea so vast and so terrifyingly dark, it doubled as an abyss. If he were to look upon it, he would drown. Yet, as it was, he already felt like he was drowning.

Presently, he was walking out in the woods of a nearby village. He hadn't been in the town yet, as he was still cagey at the thought of encountering more people. He did not need food, and most likely, the markets were closed at this time of night regardless. The forests of this world no longer frightened him like they used to when he first began walking through them. He preferred nature over society. Woods were safer than people to the Akuma. Life in the outdoors was not cruel to him like people were, nor thoughtless or selfish.

Just then, he heard a sound off to the right, behind the bushes and pine trees. He froze as the noise was reminiscent of an older man groaning. Perhaps he heard wrong, many sounds emerged in a forest of this size during nighttime. He exhaled and took a step forward to walk away. He made out another noise this time, and it was a scream. He also heard jeering, which was being made by what heard like young men.

The encumbered Akuma ran a hand through his shaggy blonde hair. He was now faced with a dilemma. Should he go investigate? He was sure nothing good would come of it. But what if someone was being hurt? Could he really just walk away? Maybe he could sneak by and see what was happening. If someone needed help, then he'd intervene.

He was careful to quiet his footsteps, keeping an eye out for any leaves and branches in his way. He kept close to the bushes and trees to conceal his presence. As he approached the commotion, the sounds the strangers were making were getting louder. It was indeed an older man who was getting hurt and young men that were causing him pain. He caught something in his sights past some branches and stopped to see what was happening.

Beyond the brushes, the blonde was hiding behind was clearing with three relatively young men, just maturing past adolescence. They were standing over an elderly man with gray hair and beard. The old man was bleeding out of his nose with a split lip, as he was trembling with fear and possibly pain. He didn't dare look at the three aggressors before him. One of the younger men spat on him. Another kicked him in his stomach, and the old man yelped once more. The Akuma, still hidden, bared his teeth. He watched as the three men stood with glee as the sick older person lay there on the ground suffering at their mercy. Why were people so evil? He couldn't take it anymore.

"Hey!" bellowed out the incensed Akuma. The three guys turned their attention over to the blonde stranger before them. One of them looked afraid of this tanned skinned youth. "Where the hell do you get off, picking on that poor old man?"

The three young bullies spoke amongst themselves as if the blonde never spoke, but not taking their eyes off him. "Who is that guy?" the one on the right asked his friends.

"Dunno, haven't seen him around town before," replied the middle one.

While the group deliberated, the Akuma dared to walk closer to them, fuming. "Hey, I'm talking to you, assholes!"

"Mind your own fucking business, bitch!" piped up the one on the left. He turned to his fellows, "he's probably like this piece of shit here," gesturing to the beaten old man on the ground. "Just look at him," referring to the blonde's worn down and slightly torn clothing. The blonde glared at the comment.

"Leave him alone," the young Akuma said with a menacing tone.

"Or what, bitch?" all three guys looked ready to fight.

"Or I'm gonna have to do something about it," the blonde balled his fists together. What the hell am I thinking?! I'm not a fighter, I've never fought anyone in my life. He didn't want what happened with that mob to happen again, either.

"A punk bitch like you couldn't even hurt one of us, let alone all three of us," the middle one said, pointing to his friends. He wore a smirk of victory.

Damn, he's calling my bluff. Why can't they just leave that old man alone? He searched for even the smallest hint of remorse or pity in the young men's eyes but found nothing but malicious glee. Bastards, he thought. And they call me a monster?

Let's see how you handle this one boy, piped up the inner demon. It returned to bother him once more.

"Look at him. He's scared, what a pussy," said the third young man to the right. They must have noticed his fear and confused to mean the Akuma was afraid of them instead of the dark force that lived within his body. If only they knew, then they would have run for the hills.

"Fuck you, I ain't scared of you! Only cowards pick on the weak who can't fight back! You're the pussies, not me, you pieces of shit!" the livid Akuma spat on the ground before the three for further effect. He felt his blood boiling, he'd never felt so hot before. With the mob cornering him last time, he felt nothing but fear, but with these three men, he felt the opposite of fear. It kept one alert like fear but in a different way, energy rushing throughout his limbs, a pounding occurring in his head. One of the bullies went to punch him. The blonde tried to dodge but got hit by another, and the third kicked him square in the face.

The bleeding Akuma fell flat on his back, as the three young men began kicking him over and over. He felt a metal taste come up in his mouth as he clutched his head in a feeble attempt to defend himself. He dared to peek with one eye and caught the old man, who was completely ignored at this point, crawl away to hide.

**_My power looks pretty good now, doesn't it, said the creature living in the Akuma._ **

_No, I'm not letting that happen again_ , the Akuma responded adamantly.

**_If they keep it up, you'll die, which means I die, and I've no intention of perishing because of your ignorance._ **

_No, no, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-_

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" All three men were suddenly thrown back by an invisible force. The Akuma got up on his feet, and he looked deranged. His eyes went from cerulean blue to blood red, his nails sharpened into claws making his fingers seem unnaturally long, his teeth poked out of his mouth, bared out and ready to bite. His blonde hair was spikier, and his lips appeared to be so dark they were black. To the three young men and the beaten old man, there was a shroud of orange bubbling energy cloaking the dangerous Akuma.

"Holy shit!" exclaimed the ringleader of the bullies. "Let's get out of here!" However, the Akuma, as he was now, had no intention of letting anyone leave. In a flash, the bloodthirsty Akuma rushed over to the young men who were scurrying off to their homes and tackled the slowest. He bit into his neck so fast, so hard, so deep that the young man was dead in an instant.

"Yuzuru!" one the remaining two screamed. "Hideki, we gotta go!" the other yelled.

The one called Hideki was taken next, impaled clean through the stomach from behind. Hideki stilled and coughed up blood, clutching at his wound as the deadly Akuma pulled out his arm from Hideki's body. The impaled youth fell on his knees, face-first into the dirt, and breathed out his final breath while his friend screamed in horror and caught the Akuma's gaze. He froze as he realized he was in the transformed blonde's sights. In an instant, his head was found between the Akuma's palms, and he screamed frantically. The demonic Akuma put enormous pressure on the man's head as he squeezed with all his strength the ill-fated bully's cranium, who bled out of his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. When he finally died, the blonde creature let him go, and the bully's corpse fell to the ground. The old man, who had witnessed all the violence, clumsily attempted to hide behind the same brushes the Akuma emerged from. It was in vain, however, for the blonde in his current state had an impeccable heightened sense of smell. He was able to pinpoint where the wounded old man was, and in mere moments he appeared behind the hapless elder, fangs bared, mouth dripping with blood, arms outstretched and ready to go in for the kill. The Akuma screamed a bloodcurdling scream.

The old man responded in kind with his own yell of pure fright. He was vigorously shaking all over his bruised body. He put up his wrinkled arms in a sad effort to defend himself. The unfortunate sight before him triggered an emotion different from the usual anger that boiled within the Akuma. Now, as he looked upon this defenseless human, he felt empathy. It stilled the rage within, and gradually the fangs and claws of the Akuma reverted to the universal human traits of hands and teeth. The spiky hair softened, and the eyes became blue once more. Gone was the beast from the before, all that remained was a perturbed young blonde on the verge of tears. Whether they were tears of anger, shame, or guilt, he did not know.

Despite the return to his human form, the Akuma still inspired fear in the old man before him.

"Ah, monster! Monster, help! Help! Get away from me! Help!" the old man shrieked for someone else to hear him. The Akuma could not linger, or he would have to face yet another mob. He turned away at once and ran. He didn't know which direction to take, nor where he would go. His priority was just to get as far from this place as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kurama in case you didn't notice is the being inside of Naruto and he's much more violent and angry than he is in the manga/anime. And he also gets more chances to take over Naruto's body, which Naruto will definitely be paying for.


	4. To be or not to be

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This a big chapter! :D

Suto wiped the sweat from the edge of his brow and put the shovel on the ground, aside from the pair of freshly dug graves before him. He just couldn't believe they were gone. Even when they began to look sickly, as their bodies deteriorated, he still was in obstinate denial that they were going to die. However, in a matter of a few weeks after Misuto revealed his and his wife's condition, their disease started to take a toll on their bodies. After a month, neither elder could get out of bed. Makoto was the first to pass on. She was brave for her husband and Suto. She gave Misuto one final kiss, saying that she will see him soon and that she'd be waiting until it was her spouse's time to depart this world. Overnight Misuto too left this world. Minutes before he passed on, he silently pointed to an envelope on their bedroom nightstand. When Suto assured him that he'd take it, Misuto's eyes relaxed. Suto took him by the hand and waited for the moment. When it came, the old man's hand froze stiff as a board, his eyes glazed over, and a final breath escaped his lungs. His last words were, "Suto, no matter what happens in this life, do not ever forget your time here. Never forget the person you were in this cabin and the peace that existed between us three. Promise me, please. Please."

It took him a while to move from the chair he had placed at the old couple's bedside. He covered their faces with their bedsheets, as he could not bear to look at them in death. It reminded him too much of them in life and the fact that that was no longer a possibility. Yet, as despondent as he was, he did not shed a single tear. He just stared at the bed for a long while. When the sun rose, he went to work. It took him all day to dig the two graves for the couple. He wrapped more bed sheets around each corpse, gently lad them into their respective graves and he buried them each. Not once did he stop to take a break and he did not finish until sunset, after which he went to a nearby tree, plucked some branches, got some string and made a pair of makeshift crosses for each grave. He took some roses from Makoto's garden and placed them and the crosses onto the graves. He stood there for some more time, well past sunset and well into nighttime, as the moon shone above.

He couldn't sleep so he gathered the small number of things he had accumulated over his time at the cabin. He placed them in a bag he got a few months ago and set them against the wall. He went to get the envelope that Misuto had left for him and ripped it open to see what he'd find. In it, there were only two things: a letter and a key. Suto set the key aside and held the letter in his hands as he read.

_Suto,_

_It's taken me some time to work out all I want to say to you. I couldn't bear to do it in person, so I decided to write it down so you could read it when you were ready. I'm not long for this world, so I'll leave this for you to read after I'm gone._

_Because of your condition, I cannot say with absolute certainty, but I have a pretty good idea of who you were before your accident. I think and based on what you said to me that day at the market, that you are, was_ _Sasuke_ _Uchiha of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Now, before you get excited at learning this fact, or angry that I concealed this from you, you need to take some other details into consideration. Sasuke_ _Uchiha, as the world sees him, is a criminal. And not just any criminal, but one of the most dangerous in recent record. His story is one of great sorrow and pain. It is said his family was slaughtered by his elder brother, Itachi, who since left the village a traitor and murderer. So, in his quest for revenge, Sasuke_ _too abandoned the town_ _and went into league with another criminal called Orochimaru. However, after some years, Sasuke_ _killed Orochimaru_ _and went onto kill other criminals like Deidara_ _and finally his brother Itachi. Then he went on to attack all leaders from the Five Great Nations at the Five Kage_ _Summit and killed Danzo_ _Shimura, a notable figure of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Since then, he has gone missing,_ _and he has gone missing because you have been here the entire time. That's my theory. I believe it to be true because of your appearance, and the snips of memories you've been recollecting while you've been with us._

 _Suto, if you are indeed Sasuke_ _Uchiha, you need to be extremely careful. It means you are a wanted man, by all the great nations of this world. Though, in my opinion, Sasuke_ _is not an evil person. He's a young man with great pain inside his soul. Who wouldn't be after being witness to such bloodshed and suffering such loss as that of your entire family? Underneath all that anguish, is you Suto. You are more than violence, power, and pain. You are compassionate, kind and loving. You are a great person. My wife and I saw this. I know the world can and will too, someday, if you let them._

 _Now as an old man who has lived a long life, let me impart some words of advice to you. I have a fair chance of knowing who you are because I too was a ninja, as was my wife. In our youth, we fought in the Second Great Ninja War. We served_ _on behalf of the Village Hidden in the Clouds. We saw a lot of death in those years and suffered significant losses. We also took lives, which broke apart families, widowed spouses,_ _and orphaned children. At that time of my life, it was easy to be consumed by anger and hatred. But living that way is exhausting and fruitless. I think you knew that when you were still Sasuke._

 _When Makoto and I found you, we didn't recognize you at first. When you woke up, we still failed to recall_ _your identity, since you didn't know who you were,_ _and you hardly seemed a threat. But when you fainted at the market that day_ _and told me what you thought your name was, I started to piece it all together. You were Sasuke Uchiha, the young man who attacked our Raikage_ _and his brother Killer Bee. Had I still lived in hate and anger, I would have turned you in. But I did not, because I understood why you turned_ _to a life of crime. I sympathized with you and your suffering in this life. How hard it is to be a ninja. How hard it is_ _to_ _live in this world of violence and war._

_The other day, when you had your episode outside of our bedroom, you were screaming you didn't want to remember. You were probably reliving the massacre of your family. Perhaps it is best if you never remember your early life. You are still so very young. You have so much life left to live. Maybe this accident of yours is fate, and you are meant to move on and live a different life._

_I said Sasuke_ _is a wanted man, but at this point, he is presumed dead. There was a lot of blood where he was last seen, enough to assume severe_ _blood loss and bodily harm. Some of it was said to belong to the Uchiha. I know you wanted to leave in search of who you are and reclaiming your former life and identity. So, I present you with a choice. The envelope in which this letter came from also contains a key. After Makoto and I found you, it didn't take long for me to spot your sword either. I hid it in a chest under our bed. Should you_ _seize_ _that sword, it would mean to me that you are committing to reverting back to Sasuke_ _Uchiha, last of the Uchiha clan, deserter, traitor and murderer of the Hidden Leaf Village. Or you could leave that sword and move on, settle down with someone and live a life of peace. These are one of the choices you must decide on. Do not choose in haste, for it may impact the rest of your life._

_Be good, be safe, be strong and be forgiving. Forgive yourself Sasuke. Let go of your pain and live._

_Goodbye,_

_Misuto._

Suto sat up and exhaled. It all made so much sense now. The memories, the reflexes, his appearance. He too had heard tales of Sasuke Uchiha, so he knew that Misuto was probably speaking the truth. However, while he repeated the name repeatedly over in his head, nothing came rushing back to him. No clarity whatever cured him of his amnesia. All he had were the handful of recollections that were triggered in the past year. He had the answers to his problem, but still missed the pieces that made him Sasuke. He picked up the key and held it in his hand, turning it over. He didn't need to decide. He knew what he had to do.

He carefully folded the letter and placed it into the envelope, inserting it into his bag. Key in hand, he went over to the elder couple's bedroom. He knelt, searched and sure enough there was a chest underneath. He reached out and pulled out the chest. It was not a very high, but extremely long. He opened the lock which kept the trunk shut and found many trinkets and weapons. But there was only one item that caught his eye.

It had a black scabbard with a matching hilt, the blade itself seemed to be very long. He gingerly gripped the sword with both hands and held it up with care as he inspected the weapon with bated breath. As he slowly removed the sheath, the metal of the blade sparkled under the moonlight descending through the bedroom window. The sword was very long, about the length of Suto's own legs. It looked sharp enough to cut through most material. He set the scabbard aside and stood up to wield the weapon with his left hand. He felt an odd sense of energy flow through his arm just then, it almost felt electrical. It was very familiar.

He whispered only one thing, "Kusanagi."

It took several moments for the raven to marvel at the weapon before setting it down. He had to prepare. Going to the bathroom with scissors in hand found in the kitchen, he went to the bathroom and faced the mirror. If he were going to go out into the world, he'd have to cut his hair to avoid being recognized. Before he began, he paused, taking in full the reflection he saw of himself.

"Sasuke, Sasuke Uchiha." He began cutting, starting at the end of his locks. They had grown quite long during his stay at the cabin. "The name is Sasuke. I'm called Sasuke." He went to cut his bangs but thought against it. The bangs could help hide his face. He put the scissors down and looked at himself again. His hair was very short now, shorter than it was last year. It was messy towards the tops, strands sticking up and out, but it wasn't as noticeable with the locks so short. The bangs he hard mainly towards the right side of his face, but they were not long either. They mostly covered the right side of his forehead and part of his eyebrow, just above his right eye. It was an attractive look for the raven.

He thought it over, in private he would refer to himself as Sasuke Uchiha, but out in the world, he shouldn't be so quick to reveal his identity. Only to those he could find to trust, if he did find anyone he could entrust the truth to. At any rate, he'd have to be careful going forward.

His body was spent, so he figured he should sleep for the night. He'd set on his journey tomorrow. Tomorrow everything would change for him. No longer was he Sutorenja, he was Sasuke Uchiha. He had an identity, his identity back, even if he couldn't remember much of it.

"Any sign of him?" called out one man in the distance. The people with him must have shaken their heads no in response because said man grunted in frustration. "Damn it, well C'mon folks, he can't have gone far." Seconds later, the group out in the forest made their way. Meanwhile, hidden up in the tree branches over their heads, was the very person they were searching for the past week.

The hunted Akuma's heart was beating so very hard. He dared not even breathe until he was sure he was safe. For the moment anyway. There had been people hunting him since the encounter he had with those men. All because he lost control. Some days he was luckier than others. Yet, he barely had a chance to sleep in all these days because of the relentless chasing. He couldn't keep doing this. One way or another something had to give. Whatever it was he had inside him, wouldn't stop. It would always find some way to break out, however slightly, and cause havoc and death around the Akuma. What could he do to make it stop? He kept thinking over his options based on his current circumstances; turn himself over and surely get executed, keep running and be hunted, or the third option…

Suicide.

It was an option he had considered for some time now, as it seemed he didn't have much to live for. He had no family, no friends, no home. He was not even seen as a human being. He was being hunted like a wild animal and sure to be murdered by angry, ignorant people. The creature inside him was yearning to gain control of his body. The Akuma felt deep in his heart that he did not have much time left in this world. Might as well die on his own terms is how he thought about it.

But there was this smaller part of his conscience saying not to do it, that he should keep fighting, to hang on just a little more, that he'll find something to live for. The Akuma heard that voice which reeked of desperation. As much as he wanted to live, he had no reason to stay living.

_I shouldn't need a reason…_

The desolate Akuma jumped from tree to tree, not even the wind hitting his cheeks would soothe him. It was as if he felt numb all over. All he felt was fear, outrage, and sorrow. He couldn't focus on anything, as the dark thoughts of ending his life assaulted his mind. Tears fell out of his eyes.

 _There really is no other way..._ he closed his eyes at the terrible thought. The more the idea pressed his brain the more it made sense. Despite that desperate voice shouting to live, it was so very far off, almost nonexistent to the other part that insisted _you should die, you must die._ The miserable Akuma wanted to scream but kept quiet as to not attract attention.

For his lack of attention, his foot landed awkwardly at a branch, tripped and as a result fell towards the ground several feet below. Instinct drove him to turn quickly as he flew and in time landed harshly on his back as he hit the ground. The injured Akuma took some moments to stand on his feet but then froze as he heard some voice nearby.

"Did you hear that? Something fell from a tree, something big."

"It must be him! The Akuma! That fucker must be close, c'mon guys!"

"I'm gonna skin the bitch."

"I'm gonna gut him."

More tears fell as he heard the glee in their voices much like the young men when they were beating on that old man. The old man who did not even seem grateful for the intervention, who feared him like the others. Who called him a monster like the others. Was there no one good left in this world?

The young blonde went for it, ran like mad once more. He struggled as his body was in pain but pushed on and on. However, the mob heard him and chased. And so, it went for hours more, the Akuma running and the crowd hunting, never stopping. Sure enough, nightfall came. The blonde couldn't climb since he was still hurt. Yet, he felt his wounds heal since the fall earlier in the day. He currently hid behind a rather large tree, not too far from a bank of water to the right.

_**Oh, looks like you're sure in a bind now.** _

"No," whispered the Akuma in dread.

_**You know there's only one way to get rid of them.** _

"No, no, no, not now."

_**Oh, come now, we've been through this enough times already.** _

"NO, NO, NO!" the Akuma began to wail, for the evil being within reared its unholy presence again. He would give anything to be free of it. The thought of ending it all came flooding back too.

_**It's all so exhausting for you; running and hiding, barely getting by, fighting and failing to resist me. Just give in, give me all the control. You'll never have to worry about anything again.** _

"Fuck you," gritted the blonde with his teeth. "I'm not giving you anything."

"Hey what the fuck was that?" the mob was getting closer, inch by inch. One of the crowd was sure to hear the Akuma soon.

_**Then I'll just have to take like I have so far.** _

_You must die, you need to die, you should die._

_**And this time, I won't let you take it back.** _

And that was the breaking point for the Akuma. Earlier he spotted a bridge. He made his way back to it. He knew at that moment what he had to do. He didn't care about the mob anymore. Soon enough, they wouldn't be a problem anymore. Nothing would.

He found the bridge. He jumped on the edge, staring at the water below. It didn't even appear to be water anymore. It resembled pure darkness, the one shrouding the Akuma ever since he woke up that fateful day. It mirrored the abyss he felt himself facing. No matter how far he ran, he couldn't escape. He was done running. It was time to meet it for the last time.

_**Wait, what are you doing?** _

"What I probably should have done long ago."

_**No, no! You can't do that.** _

"Oh yes I can, just watch me. I'm done feeling powerless, I'm done be feared and being afraid. I don't know who I was, but maybe I wasn't meant to. It doesn't matter anymore. I'm done. And so are you, because you'll die with me" The Akuma didn't know much, but he felt that to be true. And the current sensation of fear emitting from the being confirmed it. Ironically the blonde did not feel any fear, but an eerie sense of peace.

_**You don't know what the fuck you're doing.** _

He took a foot off the ledge. In any other situation, he would have felt like a bird about to take flight. In some way, he did. A departure to freedom, despite death.

He let go, just as he heard the crowd catch up and see the Akuma take a plunge into the dark depths below. He could feel the demon in his cage screaming. He could feel the water all around him, pushing its way into his body as he did not hold his breath. He let go and felt himself sink, and all the air be replaced by liquid.

He was free.

The sun was up, the bag was packed with everything he needed and owned. He had his sword. He was ready to go. He stepped up to the door, and as he grabbed the handle, he took one final look back. The cabin was silent; another deathly reminder that there were no more inhabitants of this place that was once a home. He opened the door.

The sunlight hit Sasuke's face with full force. The brightness forced him to shut his eyes. He put up his arm to shield himself from the light. He looked over to the freshly dug graves by the cabin. He nearly felt his heartbreak at the sight. The young raven walked over to them and took it all in. A single tear shed from his left eye.

"Thank you for everything," he whispered. Without further delay, he turned and walked away. Away from the cabin and the past year he stayed and called this place his home. As he walked his mind pondered on the letter he left behind in Misuto & Makoto's room.

_I know you cannot read this where you are now, but I wanted to write it anyway, for myself._

_Thank you for telling the truth, even if it was a letter instead of in person. I know part of the truth now, and I will embark on this journey I take to find the rest of it. That is my choice. Once I learn everything_ _I can_ _finally decide who I should be and what life I should lead._

_You say I may be Sasuke Uchiha, orphan and criminal, ninja and traitor of the Hidden Leaf Village. Now I must learn why. I must learn what drove me to lead such a life and make choices that grant me such titles. It could have been the loss of my family, but I must know for sure._

_Thank you for your confession, you owed me none of that. If I am indeed Sasuke_ _of the Hidden Leaf, then I thank you for your kindness and mercy, especially in my case. I will take it to heart. I will never forget what you and your wife have done for me. I may never regain my memories, but I'll always remember_ _this year and_ _you._

 _Whatever I may face in the coming days, I will remember what you asked of me; both in your final moments and in your letter to me. I will be good, I will be safe, I will be strong,_ _and I will be forgiving._

_Goodbye,_

_Sasuke_

Sasuke Uchiha walked off into a new day and onto a new journey, to find what lies ahead. He hoped with all his might that he'll finally discover what he was looking for. He prayed that it would all work out.

He traveled at a slow pace, as he did not have a set path to walk on. The first thing he should focus on was finding work. He barely had any coin, neither did Misuto or Makoto at the end. He stayed by water, especially river banks to catch fish. He kept an eye out for berries as Misuto taught him. Conveniently enough, Sasuke didn't have a large appetite. Perhaps it was part of his upbringing. Eventually, night came, and he was walking in another part of the endless forest. Crickets were chirping, fireflies were soaring. The environment was all but peaceful.

Or so it seemed. Sasuke's attention was caught on a figure on a bridge who jumped off into the water below.

There was another glow emitting in the distance, from what seemed to be a crowd. Due to his possible status as a rogue ninja, Sasuke did not want to be seen by strangers if he could help it. He noticed some brushes up ahead by a riverbank to the right of him. So, he hid. Sure enough, it was a crowd of people who carried torches and weapons. A man was leading them, and none seemed friendly, in fact the opposite.

"There's nothing that can be done at this point. That monster didn't seem to know how to swim. Guess it drowned."

"Just our luck, it's so dark out we won't be able to see till morning, and by then it'll be too late."

 _Monster?_ Sasuke wondered if they were talking about the river behind him. He turned to look around for any signs of life in the dark body of water. He did notice a speck but couldn't clearly make out what it was. He squinted and then it was all so translucent. It was a worn old shoe, worn down from constant travel. A shoe that definitely belonged to a human being. Whoever it was must have fallen from the bridge. He set his things aside at his hiding spot, sprinting over in a hush over to the bridge. He was crazy to do this, but he felt he had to do it. Someone could be drowning. There could still be time to save that poor soul. Only one way to find out.

He dove.

All he saw was darkness, but he wasn't about to just resurface. He wanted to keep trying in case he saw someone. He tried squinting again to see if it would aid in his search and he spotted a dim blue object some strokes away. He swam and lunged until he grabbed hold of something substantial and kicked his way to the surface, dragging the object with him. He gasped for air as he resurfaced, bringing up the one he pulled with him, who was unconscious. It was a blonde young man, no older than Sasuke was. The raven looked all around him, and it seemed they were not close to land. He decided he'd have to try and get the water out of the kid before him. He turned the blonde around, so he was facing away and put his arms around the unconscious one. He squeezed with all his might three times. On the third time, the blonde coughed up some water. However, he remained motionless. He dragged the stranger further towards the shore. Once they got there, the raven laid him flat on his back, put his hands together once more and began to push hard, right onto his chest. After several attempts the blonde began to cough up more water, nearly choking as he did so. Sasuke checked his pulse once he calmed down, it was there, and that's all he needed to relax.

The area was tranquil now, making the atmosphere serene in contrast to how chaotic it was moments before. The raven took some time to lie down as saving this blonde stranger took a lot of effort on his body. Once his breathing calmed down, he went to get his bag and change his clothes. While doing so, he kept his eye on the stranger, who remained unconscious. The blonde did not move an inch, even while Sasuke began starting a fire. Sometime later, he checked on the pulse again. It was stronger than before, and the stranger's body felt warmer than before, but not enough to indicate a fever. Perturbed, he stepped away, sitting across from the blonde with the campfire between them.

It took about two more hours until the blonde stranger finally awoke. He sprang to life, eyes bulging out of his face, panting and turning his head around wildly to and fro like his mind was trying to frantically piece together what was happening. Finally, the stranger's attention turned to Sasuke.

"Wha-what the fu- what's going on?" the blonde asked breathlessly. "Who are you?"

"We're not far off from where you fell in," Sasuke responded calmly, a stern contrast to the other's agitation. He gestured over to the body of water beside them. "There's no one here but us. I saved you."

"Saved me?" said the blonde quietly. His face transformed into a grotesque display of rage. "You think I wanted to be saved," he uttered the last word in an angry hiss. "I didn't want to be saved. I didn't fall in," he insisted with a sneer. "I wanted to die, but I can't even have that," he wailed in melancholy. "Every day of my life I have been hunted, ignored and hated, as far as I can remember. I don't even know what happened most of my life because of some damn accident I had. I don't have anyone to help or a place to call home. It's like I'm cursed; I can't live, and I can't die."

"You don't remember anything?" Sasuke piped up. "Neither can I."

"What?" asked the stranger rudely.

"About a year ago I had an accident, a pretty bad one, I got injuries all over my body, I couldn't even move for weeks. I don't know how what happened or why, but I cannot remember any part of my life before my accident. I can only remember little things here and there, but not much more than that. It's like my mind has been erased." Sasuke explained.

The blonde stranger seemed to calm down at this, his shoulders slumped. "I can't even remember my own name," he said softly. Sasuke sympathized at this.

"Two people found me washed up by a stream," he continued. "Had they not taken me in, I probably would have died then. They actually gave me a name, Sutorenja, but they called me Suto for short, since I couldn't remember my actual name," The raven-haired youth spoke with a somber fondness. "It sounds like compared to you, I had it pretty easy. I'm sorry life has been so hard for you. But it doesn't have to be, not anymore. Since we both have the same issue of not remembering our pasts, we should stick together and maybe we can somehow regain our memories."

The stranger took in all that the man before him just said. _He wants to stick with me? He doesn't even know me._ He was blown away by the raven's kindness and generosity. His eyes suddenly started to sting. He had to blink back the tears.

"Why? Why are being so nice to me?" the blonde one asked thickly.

"Because of a promise I made." said the raven with resolve. _Be good, be safe, be strong and be forgiving._ "I feel that if I can stay with you, I can keep that promise. So what do you say?"

The blonde stranger sat there for a while, thinking over the offer in silence. "I accept." He said with a small smile.

"Great! Now, it'll be hard traveling together without any names to refer ourselves to. I guess for the time being you can keep calling me Suto," Sasuke said. Though he had no reason to suspect this person, he couldn't be so quick to reveal his real name.

"Um, I don't know what to call myself." Said the blonde in a sad tone.

"How about Maigo?" Sasuke offered. It was the first thing that popped into his head.

"Well its better than what I was called before!" said the newly named Maigo, glad to be rid of the cursed moniker of Akuma. He'd take anything over that.

"Alright then, nice to meet Maigo."

"Nice to meet you, Suto." Maigo's stomach rumbled. "Got any food?" He asked sheepishly.

"I do, here," the raven dug into his back and handed his new friend a piece of food. They ate in peace together, and their friendship began anew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So recap: Suto is Sasuke, but going by the alias Suto for the time being. Naruto finally got a name, Maigo (means lost child in Japanese, since he is lost). I figured neither guy would be so forthcoming, since they both just met up with each other and have been through a lot, especially Naruto. I am sad about killing off the old couple, they were sweet and no doubt inspired by the old couple Sasuke knew as a small child, who he called Aunty & Uncle.
> 
> For a visual picture of Sasuke's haircut, the closest that satisfied me was this drawing: post/171548967311/northful-a-concept-sasuke-with-short-hair


	5. New beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter of 2018, good year :)

They'd been traveling for several days by now. Keeping to themselves, Maigo and Suto made their way through the forest. This Suto seemed to be a good luck charm for Maigo for no more encounters occurred in his company. The blonde also managed to eat more than ever before, having his fill of wild berries, fire-roasted fish and other edible food found along their trek through the forests. It was the first time he felt full in the whole year he'd been wandering without a life. The raven-haired youth was a quiet man, calm as the sea and very kind.

Had they been other people, at this point of the journey the two would try to get to know one another to pass the time. However, it was hard to talk about lives that were forgotten. At times there would be an awkward silence between them, where neither man knew what to say to the other to strike up dialog. Not that Suto seemed to mind, of course, the raven seemed content with the lack of noise. Maigo, on the other hand, did not care for the peace and rather liked clamor as it brought distraction. So long as it was good disturbances and not bad ones like he had the past year.

Since what happened at the bridge the being living inside him had been nonexistent, which was fine by Maigo. He'd like to think that his attempt to end his life dispelled the being. Everything was going so well Maigo was scared to believe it was real. Every time he opened his eyes when he'd wake up, he would look around to make sure it was all happening. Someone was with him and sticking with him. It was astounding that Suto also lost his memory too. Part of him didn't want to believe it, but there was a sincerity in the raven's eyes Maigo couldn't deny. It was all so surreal. Most of all, the blonde kept feeling the oddest sense of deja-vu while traveling with his companion, as if the pair had voyaged sometime before.

_But that would be ridiculous._

During the days the men would travel and, in the night, they'd camp out and rest. On those nights, Maigo would dream the same strange dream, one that haunted his brain ever since what happened at the bridge. He would see a little blonde boy, one he'd seen before in his head, crying as a crowd of people surrounded him but ostracized him, glaring with eyes burning with disdain. The group would fade away with words of hate echoing in the darkness, leaving the boy alone in an abyss of solitude. Then a distant bright light would appear within line of the boy's sight, and the kid ran desperately after this light that moved further and further away. The light suddenly faded and, in its place, revealed another boy of the same age, with pale skin and raven hair. He turned and looked at the blonde that was chasing him, reached out his left arm, two fingers extending towards his pursuer. But the raven-haired little boy froze and locked eyes with his blonde counterpart. In those dark eyes shone respect, kinship and something more, something foreign. Then, as quick as lightning, the eyes changed. Where there was friendship contorted into resentment, where there was kinship was anger. Conjoined with sadness, the raven-haired little boy turned his back on the blonde child, and off in the dark was the sound of snakes hissing with a sinister laugh of evil. The raven gave a final look at the blonde with a look of deep regret, and ran away into the dark, leaving the blonde in solitude once more. At that, Maigo would awake every time in a cold sweat.

Occasionally, after that dream, he'd look over at Suto, but then shake his head, dismissing the silly notion that his companion in any way could be that raven boy. Nevertheless, Maigo could not help but feel his own body was trying to tell him something. It was as if his mind was a puzzle and he was unable to put together with the pieces he was given. The blonde felt as if he were very close to discovering a critical truth that was tied to everything; his identity, his past and his self. He couldn't be more frustrated at being on the verge only to be blocked by his lack of memory. Maigo also noticed Suto's exasperation at his own amnesia. Sometimes he could hear the raven in his sleep, muttering names from a life he could not remember. Some names caused fear to creep in Suto's voice while he dreamt and others made him relax. One name stood out to be very odd to him, Naruto. _As in the fishcake?_ Was the thought that Maigo would always think in response. _Who would name their kid such a stupid name?_

Finally, after a full week of travel, the young men arrived at a village in the distance. Both looked upon the place with feelings of dread. Suto was apprehensive about someone recognizing him as Sasuke Uchiha. Maigo was fearful of being singled out as the Akuma of the Demon Lands.

"Maybe we should," the blonde spoke up, "you know, wear disguises or something." Suto smiled weakly at the suggestion.

"I already cut my hair this short, I think it used to be long before," he responded referring to his life as Sasuke, though his companion did not know that. "We can cut yours though," the raven referred to his friend's hair. At this point, the yellow of Maigo's hair was overgrown like an unattended garden of a home. It was bushy, dirty and long, reaching his shoulders and pointing up to the heavens above. The young blonde relented; if this did help avoid attention from others, then he'd do it.

They went to a nearby river some miles away from the town and washed his hair the best they could. As Maigo finished, Suto took out a blade from his bag and sat behind the blonde. The pair were about the same height, and this was mainly evident when they sat down. Maigo sat up still as Suto reached out to begin cutting. The sodden hair was a stark contrast to the usually bright and lively appearance the raven was accustomed to seeing on his companion. He did not want to give it away, but for some reason, he was nervous about cutting the blonde's hair. Perhaps it was the knife in his hand, which was beside the tan neck of his friend. Something about that disturbed him, an ominous sense of familiarity was beginning to take hold. His head was starting to hurt again.

A flashback to another memory, where a sword was being drawn and held tightly, and another person who face was unseen and was so very close, close enough to hear their heart beating ferociously in their chest, betraying the calm voice emanating from their mouth.

_How can I be Hokage if I cannot save a friend..._

"Suto?" Maigo snapped him out of his trance. "Right, sorry," Suto apologized curtly and went to work. He made short work of trimming the hair before him, starting at the ends and working his way up. He decided to cut it short like his own.

"How's it look?" asked Maigo. "See for yourself," Suto responded, gesturing towards the river. The blonde complied and went over to see his reflection in the rushing water. His hair was the nicest he had seen since he had awoken. He already looked very different from before. He felt touched at the care that his friend went to in fixing his appearance. One could even say that he looked attractive. Hair covering his forehead was long enough to reach his eyebrows. The bangs framed his face perfectly. There was considerably less hair on Maigo's head now, and the moisture currently seemed to hold the strands in place.

"You'll have to keep a brush handy if you want to keep it that way," Suto mentioned as Maigo reviewed his new look.

"Thanks," the blonde offered with a smile of gratitude.

"No worries," Suto said with a friendly grin in return. "Ready?" The raven already put everything away and had his pack on his back.

"Yeah," Maigo replied with a renewed sensed of confidence. With Suto, he was sure everything would be just fine. They returned to the path that lead to the village they saw earlier and approached the narrow looking gates. It was apparent the community had seen better days. As the young men walked through the streets, they observed children running around, women shopping and men selling. It seemed an average town, and no one paid any attention to the two strangers. Seemingly outsiders wandering into the area was a regular occurrence. Inwardly Suto and Maigo enjoyed their relief as it appeared no one would recognize them today in their villainous roles.

Nearby an old man was struggling to move a carriage that dwarfed his stature. The blonde and raven exchanged knowing looks and went over to assist the man before the wagon fell upon him. They caught it just in time and altogether moved the cart successfully where the senior man sought to park it.

"Thank you, boys," the old man tipped off his hat to them in appreciation. "Say, boys, you wouldn't by chance be looking for work would ya? I could really use some more help. I'd pay you for your service of course. Unfortunately, it is only temporary."

It was precisely the arrangement they were looking for. The pair of travelers exchanged looks once again. Suto nodded. "That works just fine for us, thank you, sir."

They went to work for the rest of the day, moving all that they ordered to for the old man they encountered. The labor earned several hundred ryo, more than enough for a night's stay at an inn and food. If they were wise with spending the coin they got, it could last for several weeks. To save money, the travelers went off back into the forest and made camp for the night, since they were comfortable sleeping outdoors.

As Maigo was getting ready to sleep, he noticed that Suto was staring up at the at the stars above, laying on his back with his arms bent and hands behind his head. The raven-haired youth seemed to be lost in thought, reflecting in silence. He looked like someone who was feeling homesick, except they didn't know where their home was.

"You know, I think you're my good luck charm," said Maigo, who also turned to look up at the heavens.

"Huh?" Suto spoke as if broken out of another trance.

"You're my good luck charm," Maigo repeated. "Everything has been going so well since I've been with you. I don't go hungry anymore, no one is bothering me, and I don't have to constantly keep looking over my shoulder." He was right, it was easier, suffering it all with someone by your side. It wasn't as daunting as it used to be, nor as hopeless. He had hope in his heart and courage flowing through his spirit. Amnesia or no, it seemed everything was going to be okay.

"Oh," Suto said, slightly blushing. "Thanks."

"I'd ask if you have any family, but you probably don't have an answer to that question," Maigo mentioned sheepishly.

"No, I don't really have the answer," in truth, Sasuke only knew what Misuto passed onto him in that letter. So far, he had no way of confirming if he indeed has no family left in the world. He hoped Misuto was slightly wrong about the massacre of his kin. Maybe there was one or a few relatives still out there. "Then again, if I did have a family, they'd try to look for me. But how would they find me if they didn't know where to look. What about you?"

"Same here; I have no idea what family I have out there, but I doubt that I have any at this point. They would have found me by now," Maigo finished sadly. _That or they don't care enough to find me…_

"It doesn't matter," Suto said with determination, "I will recover my memories and figure out who I am." Maigo was impressed with the confidence that the raven had. _He's so cool._ The blonde yearned for that kind of self-assurance.

"Yeah," Maigo had to agree with him. He was positive that the recurring dream he had each night is tied to his self. It was only a matter of time.

That night, the pair of travelers slept under the starry skies in total tranquility.

Under that same night sky, in another land, a pink-haired girl looked upon it with dull eyes. A whole year had flown by in no time at all. How could it be? The pain was still here in her heart as if it were yesterday or last week. As of this morning, Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki were declared dead. It was determined that despite the lack of corpses and the fact that neither person could be located for the past months that there was no other recourse but to accept the tragic reality that the last Uchiha and rising star of the Hidden Leaf perished.

Many searched for both warriors since the happenstance at the Samurai Bridge. Ninja from all Five Great Nations pitched in to find Sasuke and Naruto. However, their findings were more horrifying than assuring.

After Naruto used his Rasengan and Sasuke used his Chidori, the forces of their abilities clashed and caused an explosion so forceful it made the bridge above collapse upon the people present at the fight. Sakura agonized over the details repeatedly. The broken fragments of the Samurai Bridge fell and trapped Sakura and Kakashi. The copy ninja's quick thinking saved them both. Karin Uzumaki, who was on the bridge resting from Sasuke's attack, crashed down into the river below along with the structure. Zetsu was caught in the blast generated from the rivals' power, his body shattering completely. It took hours for Sai, Kiba and Lee to find the remaining members of Team 7. Sakura looked everywhere upon the river where Sasuke and Naruto stood, but nothing was left to even indicate that they were there beforehand. It started to rain, washing away unbeknownst to them the blood Sasuke left behind when he was rescued by Misuto and Makoto. Personnel did locate a location in a forest that was devasted by someone powerful, but it could have been any ninja with such ability, not just those two.

What disturbed Sakura the most was what Pakkun said when he was summoned by Kakashi to aid in the search.

" _I can't find them," said the ninken._

_"What do you mean you can't find them?" exclaimed Sakura. "Neither one of them?" She noticed her sensei's face darken at the news, saying nothing in response._

_"No, it's impossible to find them now because I cannot get a scent on either one of them."_

Sakura didn't realize it then, but eventually, she understood what Kakashi already knew at that moment. Pakkun already knew the boys' scents from searching for them in the past. For Pakkun, one's scent doesn't change once he obtains a sample. So the revelation that Pakkun meant that something awful happened to both of them.

It meant that they were gone.

Sakura did not want to believe, she didn't want to give up. Naruto wouldn't after all. Yet, life moves on, and the world could not stop at the disappearance of the Uchiha and the jinchuriki. The Hidden Leaf Village still had to be rebuilt. The Akatsuki were still at large, despite taking considerable losses and causing mayhem. As time went on, searching and recovering the missing ninja became less and less of a priority as other matters took up the attention of everyone.

And sure enough, everyone gave up and accepted the sad truth. Former rivals and young men brimming with potential for greatness, Sasuke and Naruto were deceased. The whole village attended a vigil for the fallen ninja; the crimes Sasuke committed were concealed to the public. Sakura insisted the wake be held for Sasuke as well, as it would have been what Naruto had wanted. Tsunade wanted to please her pupil, taking in the consideration the grief the pink-haired kunoichi was bearing. It took all her strength not to cry during the occasion. Ino was a mess. The boys were mostly silent, but some were visibly angry like Kiba and Lee. Hinata was quiet but shed tears the whole time, not speaking or looking at anyone. Konohamaru was despondent, Ebisu had to escort him away. Later that day, as Sakura walked home, she heard villagers lament of the untimely passing of Konoha's hero and Sasuke Uchiha. Little kids were crying, adults were shaking their heads and elders were bearing expressions of disappointment.

When she got inside her home, her parents were already there waiting for her. Her father placed a comforting palm on her shoulder with a look of sympathy. Her mother suggested going to her bedroom and rest after her trying day, as she'd soon be in to bring some tea. Sakura complied and went to her room and starred out from her window to the sky. As she looked up at the moon, a tear finally ran down her face. She punched the wall beside her in retaliation. Tears would change nothing. Tears never achieved anything. All the pink-haired girl could ponder about now was how would she go on, knowing that her boys were lost forever now, somewhere she could not follow.

_What am I supposed to do now?_

Team 7 was dead, it could never be whole again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Never fear, for Naruto and Sasuke live, even though nobody knows it yet. Will Team 7 be whole again? We'll see. I love writing out this story, especially those little ironic statements from Naruto's perspective :P
> 
> One final thing - the inspiration for Naruto's haircut: pin/333618284884537136/
> 
> Thank you for your reviews and attention to this tale. See you next chapter.


	6. Working hard or hardly working

After assisting the man with the carriage Maigo and Suto kept finding work around the town. Some days they helped vendors transport merchandise, other days it was working on the docks. A few times they managed to perform some repairs on doors, chairs and other furniture. Maigo took Suto's lead, as the raven was the handier of the pair. They made a decent amount of money, spending it prudently over the days while staying in the area. In total, the duo earned five thousand ryo between them. All the inns in the town required no more than one hundred ryo for a night's stay, so the raven figured he could splurge just once for his blonde companion, as he was eyeing some food with a ravenous desire.

"Oi, let's head over to that ramen shop on the corner," Suto suggested nonchalantly. He noticed earlier on that Maigo had a thing for ramen. His eyes would light up and drool out of his mouth. They were always on the move, never being able to settle anywhere yet. Sasuke wanted the blonde to have some sort of comfort, even if it was just a nice meal at a market.

"Oh, that's great," exclaimed the young blonde. "I'm starving." Maigo made a silly face sticking out his tongue. Apparently, he was comfortable enough with Sasuke that he has begun to exhibit a whimsical side of his personality. For reasons he could not fathom, the raven-haired youth had the faintest urge to rebuke his new friend for his behavior, but he fought against it. He wondered where the impulse came from.

There was no door to the ramen place, only curtains that were hung to the side. There were two workers behind the counter, with four stools placed in front of it. He couldn't explain it, but Maigo was overwhelmed with a sense of nostalgia that was stronger than his hunger.

_"Well, well if it isn't my best customer! Ayame, get our boy here some miso ramen!"_

"How can I help you young gentlemen?" said a woman, instead of the gruff voice of a man in Maigo's head.

"We'd like two bowls of ramen," Suto requested.

"Miso ramen, please," Maigo finished awkwardly. The waitress replied with an apprehensive "Okay," and went to the back, beyond the counter of the restaurant. The two men sat down upon the barstools while they waited for their food. Sasuke looked at his friend; Maigo seemed a bit anxious. Over the past few weeks during their odd jobs, the two naturally had to communicate with others but it was mainly the raven who talked with others. Maigo kept quiet, most likely due to apprehension from living on the run. However, the blonde was starting to relax around others, gradually so.

The waitress returned with their order. Maigo began to dig in instantly, savoring every noodle in the bowl. He seemed to light up in a way his raven-haired friend hadn't seen before. It appeared that Maigo was joyful for once, savoring every flavor in his meal.

"That'll be thirty ryo," spoke the waitress. Sasuke handed her the money she asked for, and she walked away, leaving them be to attend other customers.

"Thanks for this," said Maigo to the best of his ability despite his mouth being stuffed with food.

"Your welcome," replied Suto, inwardly laughing at the humorous display his friend was making from eating. When they were finished with their meal, they left the vicinity, leaving a tip for the waitress behind.

Maigo and Suto walked through the town, by the docks of the humble village. They spent the rest of the day there, skipping rocks. The raven-haired youth did it with little effort, but Maigo was struggling. He would make little sounds of frustration that were comical to his friend, though Suto did his best not to laugh. The blonde would even pout in defeat as if he were a mere child rather than a grown man.

"How do you that?" Maigo asked, still pouting.

"What?" Suto said, chuckling as he skipped another rock on the banks.

"That! It's the tenth rock you skipped." the blonde huffed, his hair going up as he did so. Suto explained how he was skipping the rocks, but this did nothing to help Maigo's aim.

"Ah! I give up," he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Fine. Loser," said Suto playfully.

_You're such a total loser._

"What?" Maigo asked in a daze.

"What?" asked Suto, he was confused. His blonde friend was suddenly bewildered.

"What you said, I've heard that before," Maigo said in a trance-like tone. He was staring off into the water before him.

"Have you?" asked his raven friend, genuinely confused. It seemed that his jest triggered some sort of memory in Maigo, but it could not be. For that to have been possible, either Maigo was harassed before in his previous life, or Sasuke himself said it to him before. Which meant that Sasuke knew Maigo as someone else before they lost their memories.

But that would be impossible, right?

Sasuke tried to picture himself in the past with a blonde guy, but it just wasn't feasible. Not with the memories he recovered so far. It was as if the memories that were painted so clearly in his mind were scrubbed and the images blurred among the faces of the past. What he did manage to see was whisker-like marks on cheeks and a voice belonging to a lonely boy desperate for recognition.

_One day I'll be the greatest Hokage, believe it!_

_How can someone who can't even save his friends become Hokage?_

_When I'm with you, I wonder if that's what having a brother is like..._

The voices led to a sudden migraine so intensive it was blinding. The raven gasped out of pain and screwed his eyes shut.

"Hey," a hand touched his shoulder. Maigo was looking down over him as he stood over his friend and Suto was kneeling on the ground. "Let's head back."

By the time they headed back to their tent, it was nighttime. As the two approached the camp, the pair froze. Strange noises were emitting from the area. The kind that suggested a stranger rummaging through someone else's belongings.

"Shit where's the fucking money?!" they heard a person with a gruff voice as they seemed to aggressively make a mess searching around the place.

"Maybe they took it with them when they left," offered a second stranger, an accomplice by the sound of it.

"Fuck, of course, they did," there was a rip of material, most likely the tent they bought a few days ago.

Maigo grabbed Suto's hand. He turned to the raven, terrified. "What are we going to do?" he asked, whispering frantically. The raven would have suggested running away, but then his sword Kusanagi would be lost. It was the one tangible thing he had in his life that tied him to his lost identity as Sasuke Uchiha. He had to try and fight. He put his right hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"We confront them." That scared Maigo, but if Suto were willing, then he'd follow him. He nodded in consent. They lurked behind the bushes that concealed them, slowly making their way near the intruders. Suto and Maigo made their way quietly into the clearing, while the thieves' backs were turned entirely. Suto spotted his sword lying beneath the tent where he hid it. Luckily enough, it went unnoticed by the trespassers. He went to grab the sword when he stepped on a tree branch. Everyone froze at the sound.

"Who the fuck are you?" said the shorter of the two strangers.

"Who the _fuck_ are you?" said Maigo in turn, who was taken aback by his own tone.

"This is our camp," Suto said firmly, unsheathing Kusanagi as he did so. "Get out of here."

"Or what boy?" asked the taller man. He stalked over Maigo and Suto menacingly, knife in hand. "Do you even know how to use that sword?" he asked in an arrogant tone.

"You have no idea who you're messing with boys. We're a big fucking deal, nobody messes with us," warned the accomplice.

Suto pointed the sword at the two criminals. Inwardly he was afraid, as he didn't recall his battle experience from before he lost his memories. Would he be good enough to defeat a pair of thieves? He had to be tough.

The taller stranger with the knife lunges forward at Suto, who in turn did his best to dodge. The assailant's partner attacked Maigo, who tried to fend off the man to the best of his abilities. The blonde yelled in pain as he was cut; revealing that the shorter goon also had a knife. The gash oozed with blood, and it distracted Suto, who was struck by his opponent. He fell to the floor, his gaze fixed upon the blood on the floor.

"Heh, looks like they weren't so tough after all," said the taller man triumphantly as he towered over Suto.

The blonde wanted nothing more than at this moment to have the power to fight back. The power Maigo had before he attempted to take his own life. Now when he actually desired to use force against strangers who were trying to hurt him. But it was himself that he wanted to fight for. It was his friend. Suto had gone out of his way to save Maigo's life, even when Maigo himself did not wish to live.

"No!" cried Maigo. The taller man went in for the kill. Suto couldn't explain it, but as the knife the man was holding came down, it slowed down. It did not appear that the assaulter meant to slow down, but Suto could see the blade in perfect clarity and with ease as if from instinct, brought his sword to block the knife with enough force to get the knife out of the aggressor's hand.

"What the hell?" asked the taller man. The stranger observed that the raven-haired youth's eyes were a vibrant ominous pattern of red and black. It freaked him out. The smaller accomplice went to his partner's aid and saw Suto's eyes as well. He went to attack, but Sasuke cut him off, quickly jumping up to knock the knife he was holding as well. Sasuke's speed was inhuman, it bewildered everyone, including the raven himself. He didn't even comprehend how he was doing any of it. _I was this good before? No wonder I'm considered dangerous._ It was so natural for his body, not even needing to think about his movements. His mind was at a loss, but his body was prepared.

"He's a freak!" yelled the smaller intruder. "Let's get out of here!" The cowards flee and abandon their weapons, not looking back. Maigo is in awe. He locks eyes with Suto, who is heavily breathing, gripping his sword so tightly his knuckles are white. Maigo sees that Suto's eyes have changed, his usually black irises transformed into some sort of pattern. There was red mixed in with black, as what appeared to be lines within the pupil interlacing with each other, forming a kind of deadly flower. It captured the blonde's attention completely, sucking him with a force that was familiar.

Suddenly some elapsed reminiscences flashed through Maigo's mind, a young raven-haired adolescent with comparable red eyes mixed with black but with only two black curved dots alongside the middle pupil. That same youth, looking older in a subsequent memory, bore three comma-like dots in those reddish-black irises.

Maigo snaps back to reality, as to break Suto falls to his knees, grabbing at his hair. The raven screams a blood-curdling scream like a man possessed. In Sasuke's mind, he is drowning in flashes of despair. He saw flashes of blood on walls and the floor, bodies in the streets and in a home. The sight of a man and woman's corpses before him, blood oozing out of their bodies. Sasuke could feel his heart breaking.

_Were those my parents?_

Just behind the bodies stood a young man wielding a sword of his own, his hair tied in a ponytail and his eyes hard as ice.

"Suto! Suto! SUTO!" Maigo shook his friend as he desperately tried to wake him. The raven awoke violently, disoriented as he found himself on the floor once again. He looked off into the distance, he didn't want to face his friend yet. Not after witnessing such horror.

"Hey, are you okay?" the blonde asked with great concern. Maigo wasn't accustomed to seeing his companion in such a state. Suto was one who was always calm and collected. It was usually Maigo himself that needed to be looked after, to be the one falling to pieces. He felt helpless to help his own friend.

It took the raven some time to answer. "Yeah," shaking his head, as if attempting to shake off whatever it was that caused his collapse. He stood to get up on his own feet, with Maigo ready at a moment's notice to catch him if he fell. "Thanks," Suto said curtly.

The dark-haired youth dusted himself off and turned his attention to his blonde friend. "How's your arm?" It was the part of Maigo's body that had been stabbed by the intruders.

The blonde-haired youth completely forgot about it. "Oh, um, its," he turned and moved said arm, but the only blood that was left was what was on the torn sleeve of his shirt. The skin had healed in the past several minutes. It was no surprise Maigo hadn't feel any more pain since.

"Woah," uttered the blonde in awe. Both knew that Maigo had been struck and yet somehow, he was able to heal himself.

"Wish I could do that," Suto joked. He was equally as amazed at this apparent healing ability the blonde had. Meanwhile, the raven himself had bruises and cuts that would take days to heal.

"Oh, uh, yeah," Maigo said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Shit, they really made a mess," Maigo stated shuffling among the scattered remains of their camp.

"Yeah, they did," Suto said, running a hand through his own hair. "Well, let's start to clean up and take what we can. We're leaving." The raven squatted down to begin collecting what was left of his belongings.

"Where will we go?" Maigo asked while he gathered as well.

"Somewhere far. We have enough money to get a place of our own. This place clearly isn't safe," Suto finished picking up all his belongings and putting them in his bag. A thought suddenly occurred to him. It would be temporary, but it'll do for the time being until the raven could think of a good plan.

"I know of a cabin that we can stay in for a few days, it's far, but we can stay there for a while. It should be safe," At least the raven hoped it was. His blonde friend nodded in agreement. With everything they owned packed up and ready to go, they left the mess behind and were off again to a safe place to call home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Maigo (who's Naruto) & Suto (who's Sasuke) are heading to a certain cabin that Sasuke's familiar with. Stay tuned to see what happens when they arrive. Note - I keep referring to Sasuke as both his original identity and as Suto because Maigo doesn't know who Sasuke really is, as he decided to keep it a secret until he was certain it was safe to do so considering his status as a criminal on the run. I'm having a great time writing this all down and sharing it with you. See you all in the next chapter!


	7. Shattered memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's making a sudden return to this fic

"So what place is this that we're going to again?" Maigo said as he and Suto trekked their way through the forest they arrived in an hour before.

"It's a cabin that belonged to this old couple I knew. Those two were the ones who found me right after my accident. They saved my life and nursed me back to health. Well, my body anyway," Suto explained.

"Knew?" the blonde asked.

"Yes," Suto confirmed with sorrow in his voice. "I knew them because they died. It's why I left that place. I didn't want to stay after that. It felt like I was intruding since it wasn't my home," That and I would always be reminded of the fact that they were gone, the raven thought to himself.

"Oh," Maigo said sadly. "I'm sorry," he apologized with a look of guilt on his face.

"It's ok, you couldn't have known," Suto said. As Maigo and Suto got closer to the cabin, they walked on in silence. The blonde kept thinking how devastating it was to experience such a loss.

You don't know what it's like to lose family, you were alone from the start!

That voice again. It was a voice Maigo heard in his head before. The past few times a phrase would linger in his head, clues presented to him. He had a gut feeling that it was someone from his past. Someone important. That person was the key to his past and to recovering his identity.

That special person...it was an expression the blonde heard once.

Eventually the two approached a clearing, revealing a path to a cabin down the road. It looked the way Suto had left it in the two months since. The morning light of the sun cascaded upon the area in a wonderfully inviting gleam.

"Wow, this place looks beautiful," said Maigo in awe. His attention was caught by a pair of crosses on the ground a couple yards away from the cabin.

"So this was them?" he asked somberly, gesturing to the graves before them.

"Yes," the raven confirmed sadly.

"What were they like?" Maigo asked. He wanted Suto to cheer up and hoped that by talking about who these people were, he'd feel just a little bit better.

Sasuke took some moments to respond to that question, thinking of Misuto and Makoto. "They were kind," he answered gently. He spoke no more of them than that. Maigo assumed that it was just too painful. The wound hadn't healed yet. But the blonde wouldn't push further on the subject. The two went into the cabin to settle in. They stepped through the wooden door into the cabin and took in everything. The table set against the wall, the counter with the sink and the window just above it, and the rooms along the hallway.

"You can take their room, it the one at the end," Suto said, pointing to the door at the end of the short hallway.

"Oh, uh, sure thanks," said Maigo. The raven-haired youth went over to his former room and put his bag on the bed.

Maigo sat at the table, looking out the small window that revealed only sky from his current line of sight. There were barely any clouds to be seen in the heavens, something the blonde had yet to witness before. Perhaps it meant a good omen. Just maybe, everything would work out for a change.

* * *

The more she thought about it, the less any of it made sense. It may have been unhealthy but went over everything that happened repeatedly in her head. Pakkun, Kakashi's nin-ken summon said Naruto and Sasuke couldn't be found because there was no scent. Everyone spent weeks searching the area where the explosion occurred and the surroundings leading up to several miles. No one found a trace of either ninja, though there was one location where there was great devastation of an unknown force. Reported intel suggested it was an unrelated incident as the locals ranted frantically about a demon lurked in the lands.

No scent, the phrase lingered in her mind tortuously. Even the dead would have a scent. Corpses rot, emitting the foulest of odors, the kind anyone could find. Sakura combed through as many files as she could, not one for a KIA, MIA or other case described a single person matching Naruto or Sasuke in appearance or trait.

The others weren't so great either. Hinata hadn't left the Hyuga compound since the funeral, with her cousin keeping her company. Sai put on a brave face; fake smile plastered upon like a mask. His eyes were swimming with agony. Kakashi and Yamato were struggling, as you do when one mourns. Yamato was managing better than his senpai, as the white-haired copy ninja was devasted. He would haunt the graveyard as if he were a phantom himself. None of the remaining members of Team 7 were expected to work for several days. Tsunade was quiet and disturbingly sober. Shizune was at a loss of what to do for her mistress.

Shikamaru and the others kept their distance, but the loss of Naruto weighed heavily on everyone. It was heard that the Kazekage held a vigil in their village to recognize the upsetting loss.

Sakura felt as if she was the only one left in the world who dared to dream. Who wondered, what if? What if the pair of them were both still alive, some way, somehow? But then she remembered the length of time that passed. If they were dead...if.

She was really starting to resent that word. If. The sliver of doubt and hope prevented her from sleeping. There was only one thing left to do, to give her peace.

Sakura will try to look for them herself.

* * *

Suto and Maigo went off into the neighboring woods, making their way to the nearby streams. They spent the afternoon fishing and got a bountiful amount over time. Maigo felt an odd familiarity while swimming in the water for fish. As if he had done it before with Suto. Years before. He kept getting flashes of a younger version of himself, with a raven-haired boy and a pink-haired girl in an area very similar to the one he and Suto were in at the moment. Meanwhile Suto was feeling the same bizarre sensation, getting glimpses of fishing with a small blonde boy and a young girl sitting by a fire in another forest from his past.

Suto and Maigo went back to the cabin, each in their own confused daze. Neither wanted to communicate what the other was feeling, fearing that each would be perceived as insane or ailing. When entering the cabin, each man set their catch down. The blonde sat down at the nearby table as Sasuke went towards the sink, resting his hands as he looked through the window before him. The raven took a nearby knife and began to skin and gut the fish before him.

"Are you alright?" asked Suto, addressing his friend. It prompted Maigo to stumble out of his stupor.

"Uh, yeah," the blonde denied weakly. Maigo then shook his head. "Actually no, I'm not okay. I keep having these flashes. A lot lately. They've been more and more frequent, and for the past couple weeks, it's gotten worse."

"Flashes?" questioned the raven, a look of concern on his face. He turned to face his friend.

"I keep seeing people, people from my past. Some kid with..." the blonde paused, his face forming an expression of shock.

"With what?" Sasuke inquired.

"A boy with raven-colored hair, li-like yours," Maigo finished lamely.

"That's strange. I keep getting flashes too," Suto said, "with a small blonde boy, with hair and whisker marks like yours." He gestured to the marks on Maigo's face.

"Wow," Maigo said quietly. "What a crazy coincidence."

"I don't believe I coincidences," said the raven-haired youth.

"You don't mean – that you and I could have somehow know each other?" the blonde sputtered.

"That depends on what you've seen so far. Tell me as much as you can," Suto said.

Maigo began to explain in detail about all the flashes he experienced from the time he first awoke in the forest. However, the blonde neglected to mention the run-ins with the angry mobs and his encounters with the unknown entity living inside him.

"You know, it's funny. I couldn't get any flashes or insight to my past at all but after meeting up with you, I suddenly get a bunch at random," Maigo observed verbally.

He noted that after meeting Suto, the flashbacks began to come more frequently, almost as if something was triggering them in the first place. Unbeknownst to the blonde, Suto felt likewise. Before meeting his traveling companion, flashbacks were far and few in between. Ever since he began traveling with Maigo however, the raven experienced constant flashbacks seemingly from his past. The supposed "coincidences" as the blonde phrased it, were getting harder to dismiss.

"Perhaps our minds are trying to tell us something," Suto pondered out loud, once again hinting at the possibility that he and Maigo knew each other previously.

"But the chance we could have known each other before. The odds are just," Maigo said, cutting himself off to make a gesture with his arms, expanding them far apart from one another as if to demonstrate the improbability of such a suggestion.

"Even so, there is the chance that we may in fact know each other. Who knows?" argued Suto.

"Yeah, who knows?" repeated the blonde, lost in thought.

* * *

"There's nothing I can say to change your mind is there?" said Tsunade.

"No ma'am," said Sakura, fully equipped in her gear and pack ready to go.

"I can't in good conscience let you go alone." The fifth Hokage looked upon her disciple with worry etched on her brow.

"If I may my lady," interjected Shizune, always at Tsunade's right hand, "perhaps Kakashi can go with her?"

The Legendary Sannin made a face, brow furrowed as her gaze remained on her young pupil. She sympathized with what Sakura must be feeling, as she once had with Orochimaru and Jiraiya during times of war. Even now, living with the fact that she was the last one of her original squad, was a somber reality she woke up to in her old age.

"Kakashi is otherwise preoccupied at the moment, but I can get word to him. He can meet Sakura on the way there."

Tsunade focused her eyes on her pink-haired student, who maintained eye contact. Sakura did not speak out of turn because of her urgent desire to find her teammates and bring them back home. She did not think on the alternative. Sakura already decided that if indeed Naruto and Sasuke were no longer among the living, she could at least recover their bodies and bury them. Then, she could move on. Then she could let go.

Tsunade's eyelids closed as the woman inhaled deeply, mentally deciding. "Alright, you can go."

Sakura's green irises brimmed with gratitude. "Only, because I am trusting your judgement. Don't make me regret this Sakura."

"Never my lady Hokage," said Sakura at once.

"You keep me posted constantly," ordered the blonde woman, wagging her finger.

"Of course," Sakura bowed her head.

"And if you have any problems. Any at all, you get somewhere safe and reach out for help," Tsunade said sternly.

"Always," Sakura said with conviction. She turned away and exited the Hokage's office, marching out to go home and gather her supplies and belongings. The kunoichi had much to prepare for.

It was time to bring her boys home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate work! It takes away from precious writing fanfic time. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	8. Triggers of lost memories

"I don't _know_ ," Karin spoke for the umpteenth time, ragged and tired.

Ibiki, commanding officer of the Leaf's Interrogation force, repeated yet again, "I can keep this up all night, Uzumaki. What happened after Danzo was killed in action? And don't even try to deny Sasuke did him in."

"What do you want me to say? He almost killed me, the bastard! I almost died, I was in and out for the most part. I barely remember anything at all," Karin huffed, bemoaning once again about her beloved raven's sudden betrayal. It was really beginning to piss Ibiki off. Remarkably this Uzumaki girl was outstandingly resistant to pain. He'd been working the girl for the last nine hours. Not once did she ask for water, despite her chapped lips, or request to use the bathroom. She was a formidable one, this young kunoichi. He'd expect nothing less from someone who worked with Orochimaru of all people. The two young men who were also captured, one Suigestu Hozuki and Jugo, didn't cave under arduous and lengthy sessions of torture. Jugo had to be sedated with enough drugs to take down a dozen elephants. They were a strange bunch, these three young shinobi, but what else could be expected of the legendary sannin.

In the case of this Karin Uzumaki, Ibiki begrudgingly had to admit that she was telling the truth. Consistently the young woman answered all questions with the same answers, with blatant sincerity, the kind even the most seasoned liars couldn't fake. Jugo was afflicted with an unpredictable, violent madness, and Suigetsu was aloof, clearly a veteran of undergoing torture for prolonged periods. All Ibiki and his team could manage to wrestle out of these outsiders were that Sasuke took them to the Kage Summit with intentions to take out Danzo Shimura. They had altercations with the Raikage and samurai, but Suigestu and Jugo were left behind by Sasuke and Karin, who pressed on. Sasuke then confronted the Mizukage, the Tsuchikage, and the Kazekage and all their personnel in tow. That was deftly confirmed after speaking with the shinobi of the Sand, Mist, Cloud, and Earth. Then it was said that members of Kakashi's squad seven approached the Uchiha, and when Naruto Uzumaki entered the scene, an altercation occurred that resulted in a devastating blast. Sometime later, a search began for the missing Uchiha and Naruto. But neither had been found or could be tracked down. Karin Uzumaki had previously wounded by none other than Sasuke herself before the explosion. She remained in and out of consciousness after sustaining her injuries. She was only alive thanks to the efforts of Sakura Haruno and Kakashi Hatake.

The most disturbing fact of the conundrum is the scents of the Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki were gone. No ninken could track them done, something unheard of before. There was a missing piece to this puzzle, teasing Ibiki and the other entangled in this investigation. He had faith that the truth would come to life. In the meantime, Ibiki would not rest and relentlessly dig for even the tiniest of crumbs if that's what it took to figure things out. That's what a member of the Leaf Torture & Interrogation Force does.

* * *

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" the blonde asked with concern Maigo and Sasuke were sitting across from each other in the kitchen, still reeling from the possibility that they may have a shared past. The blonde was in disbelief while Sasuke dared to hope at the chance that it was true. It was an instinctual sensation that maybe he was onto something that the raven did not wish to ignore. _What if I'm right?_ Is all he could keep asking himself. He hoped it would mean being one step closer to recovering his memories.

"No but it's something that we can try right now. It's better than nothing," Sasuke offered.

"Alright, what do you want us to do?"

"Call me Sasuke," the raven told him. "But only use it when it's just the two of us," Sasuke warned.

"Why?" inquired Maigo. His cerulean eyes were filled with wary curiosity.

Sasuke pondered, answering the questions his blonde friend was asking. It all came down to one concern. _Can I trust him?_ It was a risk, telling Maigo the truth. But Maigo didn't give him a reason to distrust him so far. Maigo was kind, lonely and sincere. He was embittered by the world for being ostracized and hunted but never took out his inner demons on Sasuke. While traveling together Maigo has only done what he could to assist Sasuke and protect each other. Worst case scenario, although unfortunate, if his hand was forced Sasuke would have to silence Maigo. In this journey Sasuke was undertaking he'd have to be willing to gamble everything to get his memory back. _Do whatever it takes_ , a dark whisper uttered in the recesses of his mind. Sasuke decided to take a chance. The raven sighed as he began to explain:

"The truth is that I learned my name from the people who took care of me. They said my name was Sasuke Uchiha & that I'm wanted by my home village for running away and committing crimes against them and others. I found my sword, Sasuke's sword Kasanagi and it would explain the few memories that I do have," He explained some of the memories/dreams he had in the past. The ones that had him on the floor screaming.

"A year ago, while I was recovering, I ended up remembering my first name," Sasuke admitted. "How?" Sasuke explained to Maigo the incident that led to recalling his own first name. "My hope is that at some point, calling me by my real name will trigger some more memories, perhaps in both of us. What do we have to lose?"

"So, wait, you're a ninja? Like hiding in the shadows dressed-in-black type of ninja? Seriously?" scoffed the blonde incredulously.

"That's what I was told," the raven said, referring to the letter Misuto left behind.

"How do you know it wasn't bullshit?" asked Maigo.

"Misuto wouldn't have lied to me." Sasuke insisted with a fierce conviction. It made the blonde feel guilty for asking such a question.

"Sorry. So, ninjas are real?"

"It would seem so. Is it really that hard to believe?" asked Sasuke. Maigo wanted to say yes, but then, he had some sort of demon inhabiting his body, so he wasn't one to talk.

"Okay, I'll try." the blonde agreed.

From that point on, Maigo calls Suto Sasuke. It felt odd rolling off his tongue, like a foreign word he had no business using for a language he had no understanding of. For the first few weeks, there was no change, no grand event that triggered dormant memories in either young man. Sasuke was livid, off doing strange exercises furiously at dawn. The anger the raven was displaying unnerved Maigo. Yet, there was something familiar in his onyx eyes. They would occasionally transform into red eyes, giving Sasuke the appearance of some sort of demon. Every time they looked into one another's eyes, the blonde would feel a sharp chill in his spine, as well as a lingering pain in the right side of his chest as if someone shoved their hand right through it.

"Maybe we're just not meant to remember," Maigo said defeatedly one morning. It was as if their bodies were adamant about making the past forgotten.

"Sasuke?" Every time the blonde called him by that name, there was a lurching sensation down in Sasuke's gut. If only it triggered memories instead of whatever silly emotion the raven would ignore furiously. He was tired. So tired of not being able to remember his ever-elusive past. Part of him wanted to know so desperately yet other parts of him, the vulnerable side never wanted to know. He was torn and angry. How could this happen, and how could he not get better? Was he sabotaging himself?

Meanwhile, the blonde was unsurprised at not remembering anymore. The demon within himself seemed to have receded, which was well and good for Maigo. Perhaps Sasuke was the one who scared him off?

He kept mulling over what Sasuke said about his past. _He was a ninja? And a criminal?_ The blonde stared intently at his companion. Sasuke was exercising once more, skin glistening in the daylight. Maigo approached him, apple in hand.

"Sasuke, so you're a criminal?"

"Yeah I guess so," responded Sasuke, slowly stopping his exercises. _Not that I remember_ , he thought bitterly.

The blonde shook his head. "Yeah, I don't see it. Sure, you have a temper, and you can be intense, but there's no way you're a bad guy. I know bad people, and you're not one of them."

Onyx eyes softened at the words he blonde spoke. The raven's gaze made Maigo's heart flush with a great warmth that caused him to inhale deeply.

"Thank you," Sasuke said in gratitude.

"Man, it must have been some injury to make you forget so much" Maigo questioned.

"The old couple who found me said that I was lucky to be alive. It took me a really long time to heal my wounds." The only thing left to heal is my mind, Sasuke thought to himself. "And you? Is there anything you remember about the incident that caused your memory loss?" the raven asked Maigo.

Maigo grimaced, "No, not much. Just pain and pain." The blonde squeezed his eyes shut, as if it pained him greatly to remember. He clearly didn't want to, fearing of what the truth would be. Perhaps Maigo was afraid that his life was as bad as he feared, and it would shatter the tiny fragment of hope that remained in his soul.

"Why do you want to remember so bad?" the blonde dared to ask. Sasuke pondered on what to say to make his companion understand.

"That's like asking why the sky is blue or why we need to breathe air. To not remember who I am, is to not know myself, to have this gaping hole inside of me. I keep asking myself, what if my life was better?"

"What if your life was worse?" Maigo countered. "Besides didn't you say that you were a criminal? I mean, does that sound like a better life than the one you have right now?"

"There must have been I reason I turned to a life of crime," It was disconcerting being so forthcoming about such delicate details of his past, but it was refreshing to trust and confide in someone. "Maybe I felt I had no other choice."

"I guess," the blonde conceded. "But things must have been pretty bad in that case. With no one to turn to and no other way out. You must have felt incredibly lonely." _I know I have,_ the blonde wanted to say.

"I wish I knew," the raven lamented. "There's like this whole part of me missing. An entire part of my life just gone. I feel so lost and confused. How can I not remember? It's my life, it's what led me to this point in my life. I should know."

"But, you don't." Naruto said.

"But I don't." Sasuke repeated. "I'm just tired of not knowing. I want to know the truth about myself. And about my life."

The truth. The blonde could sympathize with that. Both men had been robbed of a great deal when suffering from their amnesia. It would be nice to have the truth about themselves revealed. Maybe someday. In the meantime, it seemed they would have to wait.

"Is there anything else you've recalled so far?" asked Maigo.

"There was the time it seemed like we were fishing," although Sasuke couldn't say with certainty that it was, in fact, him and the blonde fishing as children years prior.

But then why would the image appear in his head? "What about you?" Sasuke asked.

"What about me?" the blonde replied.

"Don't you wonder if your life was better before?" the raven asked, genuinely curious.

Maigo grimaced, looking down to his hands dejectedly. "No," he answered quietly. "But it probably wasn't."

"Oh, come on," Sasuke said. "It couldn't have been that bad, you never know." But the blonde's mind recalled the shouting and the chasing and the rejection of strangers. "It couldn't have been that good either. No one has come looking for me, as far as I know."

"They might be looking for you," Sasuke said, with some hope in his voice.

"What about you?" Maigo asked in return.

"As far as I know, I have no living relatives," Sasuke answered, with a yearning tone this time.

"It's lonely, isn't it," Maigo said after a pause. "Having no one to rely on, no one to turn to when life is at its darkest, knowing that you have to rough it all on your own."

"Yes," Sasuke agreed, returning the blonde's knowing gaze. "It is."

"It feels easier, though," Maigo braved, "being alone with someone else."

The raven smiled meekly. "I suppose it is." It was a comfort to have someone at his side. After Misuto and Makoto's passing, Sasuke feared the journey he was embarking on would be a solitary one. There was something so aching about it, solitude. Clearly, it was something his blonde friend knew all too well. If anything, he suspected the blonde feared loneliness far more than Sasuke did.

It unnerved the raven sometimes to consider that Maigo wouldn't want to revert to his old life, despite being unable to remember it. For all, the blonde knew he was beloved by those of his hometown. But Sasuke supposed that recent events in Maigo's life were so terrible, he didn't even want to think of going back. It was tragic, really. Sasuke wanted to press the issue further, make his companion see reason, but he figured this wasn't the right time.

"Why do you train?" Maigo asked.

"At first, it felt better than just lying around twiddling my thumbs," the urge to train his body had called out to him like instinct. "Once I got the hang of it, it was like second nature to me. The moves came naturally, like—"

"Muscle memory," Maigo finished for him. "I know what you mean." The blonde noticed while gazing upon his friend's physique how fit he looked, courtesy of the raven's constant exercising.

"It's been hard to remember my past, but for my body moving was easy, because I didn't have to think about it. It's all about instinct," Sasuke said, starting to return to his exercises.

"Can I join you?" Maigo asked.

"Sure," Sasuke turned to resume his exercises. They moved together in unison, with Maigo trying to keep up with the further advanced Sasuke. Where the raven was graceful, Maigo stumbled; where Sasuke was agile, Maigo was sluggish. Where Sasuke was powerful, the blonde felt weak in comparison. And for some reason, it was all so familiar, this sense of inferiority and competition. What was also familiar was the stubborn drive to persist despite the failures, to keep trying to improve and grow stronger. And it felt right to Maigo. It was a nice change of pace for him, for now, he felt empowered instead of the sense of powerlessness as he lived with for the past year. He could get used to this.

Sasuke was patient with him every step of the way. He kindly advised and instructed Maigo in all the exercises and the forms. The Uchiha was an excellent teacher. Maigo told him as much.

"Maybe I should open a dojo," Sasuke said with a bit of mirth in his voice.

"That isn't a half-bad idea," Maigo responded. Soon enough, they would run out of the stash of money they earned with odds jobs. They had the money lying around, but careful to spend what they had, only buying what they need instead of what they may desire. Eventually, the two need to decide how to make more money, whether it's continuing to do the odd jobs they find or getting stable work.

"I wouldn't call myself a master," Sasuke said sheepishly. "I'm not there yet."

"Could've fooled me," Maigo replied.

"In any case, we should decide what to do about money?" Sasuke pointed out. "Should we be fishermen?"

Maigo stuck out his tongue, wrinkling his nose. "Do we have to?"

Sasuke fought the urge to laugh. "Alright, alright, how about carpenters?"

"Hm, I don't know," Maigo wondered. "Maybe that could work." But the blonde still had a look of concern etched upon his tan face.

"Is it about you?" Sasuke asked. Maigo stiffened.

"When I found you," Sasuke began, "you were being chased around by people who feared you, thought you to be this monster, a demon. I overheard it all. That's when I saw you try to jump into the water and drown. All I could keep thinking when I got you out of the water is that I don't see a monster. I just see a friend. You have nothing to fear," Sasuke said, putting a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "I will be with you every step of the way."

Maigo's heart stopped. _Friend? He considers me a friend?_ The blonde was in utter disbelief. Sasuke truly was one of a kind. He was so kind to him, so supportive when he didn't need to be. It made the blonde's heart feel warm. And that warmth was everything. Maigo couldn't go back to the way things were, he couldn't go back to being alone anymore. To be forced back into solitude now would be a fate worse than death. It the first time Maigo felt a lightness in his being. It was a sense of possibility, one where Maigo felt he could do anything. He realized what that feeling meant. It was hope, and he wouldn't let it go for anything in the world. This guy Sasuke, he was Maigo's light. And Maigo would follow him to wherever they would go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a big gap between chapters 7 & 8 of this fic! I need to make sure there's not such a big gap going forward!


	9. Start of the journey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!
> 
> One more and I'll have ten chapters already. Wow! Our duo is going to start a very long trek across the ninja world, enjoy!
> 
> I've mapped out their course throughout the great nations that exist in the Naruto universe! They'll be arriving at the first stop of their journey in this chapter. Enjoy!

Maigo and Sasuke began to gather their essentials for their new journey. Maigo was reprehensive about the voyage. There were so many unknown variables, but the blonde would remain steadfast. He was with Sasuke. Shit may go sideways along the way as it had in the past. But the two would pull through because they had each other. And in that there was hope.

Sasuke was eager to get back out into the world. There was a nervous energy in the air. Neither young man knew what would transpire in the coming days and weeks. But Sasuke would soldier on, with his blonde friend at his side. The two departed the cabin in the week after, with their bags packed.

"So," Maigo asked, "where to?"

They reviewed a map of the region, and since Sasuke had previously looked at the map, some parts were crossed out on the document. Those were the areas that the pair of young men would not venture to. They were either fruitless or dangerous.

"I've been thinking it over at length," Sasuke mentioned. "I believe the best place for us to go is right over here," he pointed at a particular spot on the map. It lay within the region of an area known as the Land of Water. The spot seemed to be an island in the distant southeast corner of the region.

The blonde whistled. "That is a very long way to go."

"I know," Sasuke admitted. "And realistically, we'll have to make a few stops along the way. But the ultimate goal is there, in the Land of Water, on this tiny island. I've also done some research. Sasuke Uchiha is wanted in these areas," the raven pointed out in the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire. "So, we have to stay out of those countries."

"Research, huh?" Maigo asked. "How'd you manage that?"

"Ninjas tend to drift in and out of every land. I listened in on conversations where I could. Not all of them are so discreet," Sasuke commented.

"It's gonna take us a long time to get to that tiny little island," Maigo looked at the trail Sasuke identified on the map. They would begin making their journey through the lands neighboring the Land of Earth. Those smaller areas, which were dwarfed in comparison to the vastness of the surrounding Great Nations, were known as the Land of Medicine, and after sailing for a time, trekking through the Lands of Waterfalls, Sound, and Hot Water. They would have to sail again to reach the Land of Water across the Mist Sea to reach their final destination.

"Between traveling and making enough money to fund our travels," Sasuke also pointed out, "it will take us perhaps another year to reach that place."

"Why do you want to go there?" Maigo questioned. "I know you don't want to stay here, and while I understand that, why do you want to go to this place specifically?"

"Because it's the farthest out of all the other places in the world," Sasuke said. "And as I said, Sasuke Uchiha is wanted in all these larger areas. I don't think amnesia is going to absolve me of those crimes."

"I still can't believe it," Maigo said, referring to Sasuke's identity.

"To be honest, neither can I," Sasuke spoke in response. "It's a lot to wrap my head around. Just because it looks bad now, doesn't mean I'll walk away from my past or my identity. I have to see it through. Also, there's something familiar about this place," the raven gestured to spot on the map once more. "Maybe if I get there, another portion of my memory will trigger, and I can recuperate more of my past in my mind."

"Hm," Maigo pondered. Doesn't seem familiar to me, the blonde thought to himself. Then again, the raven was making more progress in recalling fragments of his past than Maigo himself was. Maybe that had more to do with wanting to remember, and the blonde certainly didn't. Maigo was more than ready to move on. But he wouldn't abandon his friend. Not after Sasuke's kindness and acceptance. The world taught Maigo that a friend like that was scarce; he would cling to Sasuke unless he had no other choice.

"It could be dangerous," Maigo pointed out. "We could run into trouble."

"If trouble finds us, let it," Sasuke said bravely. "I'm not afraid anymore, and I'm tired of hiding." Maigo admired his courage, almost envious of it.

"Even if we die?" Maigo asked, staring into onyx eyes.

Sasuke held his gaze. "Even if we die." The raven was resolute, and it sent chills down the blonde's spine. There was no talking Sasuke out of this. Maigo sighed.

"When do we leave?"

"How's tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow it is then." The next day, they would begin their journey. And in their journey, they would face every obstacle that arises, come what may.

~

Sakura made her way through the forests outside the Leaf Village, pondering over where to begin. Her former teammates disappeared over the incident in the Land of Iron. Logically, they would have to have ended up within that region or the surrounding areas. Both Sasuke and Naruto were severely injured, so neither could have gone far, at least not initially. Since then, it'd been over a year, so at this point, either ninja could be anywhere. Naruto, without question, would have made his way back to the Hidden Leaf if he were able to do so. If he were able, Sakura thought sadly. But Naruto never returned. Not in all this time. Naruto was always a quick healer, courtesy of the tailed beast contained inside his body. While Sasuke would not have returned to the Leaf Village willingly, he would have made some noise with another crime, another attack against someone. Anyone. Yet Sasuke had made no moves since the events that occurred at the Five Kage Summit. It signified that Sasuke also was not able to do anything. They would only need a few weeks to recover from any injuries sustained from their battle. It had been nearly two years.

Sakura's lip trembled. It would stand to reason that both shinobi were dead since no activity had been seen or heard by either Naruto or Sasuke. Since no one, including animals, could track them. But no corpses were uncovered. However, slim, there had to be a chance. That slight chance, regardless of improbability, was where the kunoichi's hope lay. She would cling to it no matter what. Sakura needed Naruto's tenacity, his strength to get through this. She knew that if positions were reversed, if she were the one who was missing in action, presumably dead, Naruto would not rest until he found Sakura again dead or alive.

Her boys were strong, though; they could have made it. But even as she thought it, Sakura was a bit shaky. They would have needed medical assistance to heal, though. There was a nearby village known as the Howling Wolf Village that was in a country known as the Land of Medicine, but Sakura knew nothing else of the medical forces in the region. Shinobi were not allowed to interfere with matters related to the Land of Iron, as it was a country of samurai and separate from the shinobi world. Sakura supposed her search would have to begin there, back to the Land of Iron. If her search there bore no fruit, she would have to venture into the Land of Medicine to see what she could find there. If Sakura found nothing in the Land of Medicine either, well then, she didn't know what she would do. But she wouldn't give up, because Naruto wouldn't.

What she wouldn't give to see his dopey smile one more time.  
~ 

The sunrise marked a new chapter in their lives. At dawn, Maigo and Sasuke began their journey. Their packed bags strapped to their backs, their tools, and equipment in tow. They began to go east, in the direction of the Land of Medicine.

"So, why's it called the Land of Medicine?" the blonde asked as they walked through the small forest around them.

"Apparently for the vast supply of medicinal plants there," Sasuke replied. "There's just one major village there, known as the Howling Wolf Village. The plan is to get some work there, and when we have some more money, we can go on our way."

"Sounds like a plan," Maigo stated. "How long are we going to walk for today?"

"Two hours before sundown," Sasuke said. "That way, we have some time to hunt and gather for food while there's still light out."

The two made their way through the woodlands, with anticipation thrumming in their hearts. As the sun traveled across the sky, Sasuke spotted a place where he and Maigo could make camp for the night. The area was secluded and quiet, so Maigo went to fetch wood for a fire, and once the blonde returned, Sasuke went to gather food. The raven kept his eyes peeled for any fruit hanging from a bush or tree as he walked towards a body of water, he picked out on the map he used for a guide. He was grateful to himself for choosing to stop two hours before sunset since there was just enough daylight left to see into the clear waters of the stream. Sasuke identified some trout swimming upstream.

In the weeks before this current journey, Sasuke had trained himself a bit to improve his technique on fishing. It was something Misuto had taught him early on when Sasuke had recovered enough to move around. The elder man fished with these blades he referred to as kunai. Misuto wielded the knives with excellent proficiency, which amazed Sasuke to no end when he first witnessed the man at work. He'd capture seven fish on a good day. When Sasuke tried the same method, it took time, but eventually, the raven learned how to do so well enough. In just an hour, the raven managed to capture about four fish, so Maigo and himself can each have two to eat.

With an hour left before sundown, the two travelers made quick work of starting a fire and cooking the fish. It did not take long for the fish to cook, and Maigo and Sasuke feasted on their caught bounty.

"You gotta teach me how to catch the fish the way you do," Maigo said as he ate. "I can never manage to catch one of these slippery fuckers."

Sasuke snorted. "It's a trade secret." He winked at his blonde friend. Maigo blushed, dumbfounded. "What?" he uttered in disappointment.

"No," Sasuke chuckled. "I'm kidding," he explained. "It was a joke."

"Well, that's not nice," Maigo managed to pout. "You can't play with my feelings like that."

"You're right," Sasuke relented. "I won't do it again. To make it up to you, I'll teach you the way I fish.

"Sweet," Maigo smiled.

"It's a little unorthodox, though," the raven warned.

"Oh yeah?" Maigo said. "How so?"

"What do you know about chakra?" Sasuke asked the blonde.

"Cha-kra?" Maigo repeated. He thought to himself for a moment and shook his head for an answer. "No."

"Well, it's this energy everyone has in their body," Sasuke described broadly. "To channel it, there are various techniques that people use to harness their chakra to fight but also achieve things. Like climbing mountains or getting rare items."

"Or fish," Maigo smiled at his raven friend.

"Or fish," Sasuke reiterated with a smirk of his own. "Of course, it takes a lot of training to wield it properly, but it is worth it. It's what I've been working on while doing my exercises. But there's only so much I can do in that regard. I kind of don't know what I'm doing," Sasuke confessed. "I was hoping that I'd have my memories back by now so I could regain my abilities. But it's just as well, though. Sasuke Uchiha is still wanted by various nations for several crimes."

"So, you still can't do anything?" Maigo asked.

"There's little stuff I can do, but nothing like what has been said about me in the past," Sasuke answered. "I was quite a big deal."

"You were that powerful?" the blonde queried. Sasuke nodded in response.

"Wow," Maigo remarked.

"Yeah," Sasuke said. "I don't know what I'm going to do or say if someone recognizes me as the great Sasuke Uchiha."

"It won't come to that," Maigo said firmly. "I'll protect you."

"Maigo, that's kind of you to say but –" Sasuke started to say, but Maigo was adamant.

"Trust me," the blonde insisted. "There are things I can do. A power that I have, I can't explain it well, but it's inside of me, and it comes out when I'm scared or angry. So, if you get in trouble, if someone threatens you, I'll protect you. Don't worry."

"Shouldn't I ask what this power is?" Sasuke cautiously asked as he took note of how stiff Maigo's body became and how the blonde wouldn't meet his eyes.

"No," Maigo said quietly. "I'm not even sure what this power is myself. All I know is that it terrifies. But it sure is effective in protecting me and scaring everyone away."

Sasuke was concerned by Maigo's statement.

"Can you not control this power?" Sasuke inquired hesitantly.

"Not really," Maigo said darkly. "Though, it's been a while since it's come out of me."

"How long?" the raven asked.

"Since I tried to kill myself," the blonde answered slowly. "Hasn't shown up since then. It's funny, but since being with you, my body's been calmer somehow. Like I've regained control just by being at your side. That's part of what I meant when I said you were my good luck charm."

"I see," Sasuke said. "So, I ward evil now?"

"Evil spirits, evil everything. My protector," Maigo smiled at his friend.

"Glad I could be of service," the raven returned the smile. "Hey, we should turn in for the night. We can take turns if you want, so someone keeps guard in case of animals or intruders."

"Sure," Maigo agreed.

"I'll take the first watch," the raven volunteered, getting up to walk a few yards away from the campsite. "Be sure to put out the fire, so it doesn't attract attention."

Maigo nodded, "Okay," as he complied with his friend's suggestion. Maigo nodded, "Okay," as he complied with his friend's suggestion. "Good night," the blonde said as Sasuke walked away.

"Good night," Sasuke whispered to him in reply, as he readied himself to stand guard for some time tonight.

After four rounds of standing guard throughout the night, both young men were a little drowsy but had enough energy to continue their journey for the day. They weren't far off from their first town on their voyage to their ultimate destination, and if the two were quick, they might even reach the Howling Wolf Village by nightfall.

As the two travelers got closer to the village ahead, they entered the area where the famous medicinal plants grew. There were so many of them around, it seemed as if Sasuke & Maigo were amid a sea of plants. The plants reached all the way to the base of the mountain range the two were roaming in. It truly was the Land of Medicine.

Upon reaching the top of one of the many hills, a small town could be spotted several miles away. It caught Sasuke's eyes. "Do you see?" the raven asked his traveling companion. "Over there, that should be the village. We're almost there."

Sure enough, it took them the rest of the day to reach the Howling Wolf Village's outskirts. There were a few people at the small gate that served as the entry of the village. The strangers took note of Sasuke and Maigo as they got closer to the entrance.

"Ah, we have new travelers!" greeted one of the gentlemen nearby the entry point. He wore loose-fitting clothes that hung around his shape. The man seemed friendly, as he extended his arm to gesture Maigo and Sasuke further into the village. "Welcome to the Howling Wolf Village!"

"Thank you," Sasuke said respectfully, himself and Maigo bowing before the people who welcomed them.

"Have you traveled far?" the villager asked.

"Not too far," Sasuke answered. "We'll only be here for no more than a few weeks."

"Well, we hope you enjoy your stay here with our people in this village," the man said. "My name is Sabashi. Allow me to give you a quick tour."

"Please, after you,"

"There's not much to see, we're not as big as other places, certainly not like those famous shinobi villages around the world but we do okay here. Actually, we're a neutral territory," Sabashi explained.

"Neutral?" Maigo asked.

"That means we don't get involved in any conflicts that others get involved in. In fact, we're apparently one of the places in the world that don't have any active shinobi of any kind. The ninjas we do have retired from their life and just hang around. Not that they're quite useful, in my opinion."

"Why do you say that, sir?" Sasuke asked inquisitively.

"In case you don't know this, our village here is famous for the plants that grow nearby. We have more of those medicinal plants than we know what to do with," Sabashi quipped. "Since we have so much of the stuff, a drug was made that the former shinobi here like to use for uh, recreational purposes. They're practically burnouts. Best just to stay away from those. On the other hand, a few of the former ninjas work at guards and police around town to help protect us from any danger. So that's nice."

As Sabashi spoke, he, Sasuke, and Maigo walked through the buildings and huts around them. Many of the structures were small and made of wooden materials, with glass for windows and windowpanes. He led the two to a building that resembled an inn, one of the few large buildings in town.

"Here we are. This is the only inn in the village. The lady inside runs with it with her daughter. They'll take care of you from here. Take care!" Sabashi ran off towards the entrance of the village.

Upon entering the inn, Maigo and Sasuke were greeted by an older woman. "Hello, would you like to stay in a room for the night?"

"Yes," Sasuke replied. "Do you have any rooms with two beds?"

"We do," affirmed the woman, "just at the end of the hall over there." She pointed to her right to the long hallway of rooms. She named her price for the lodging, and Sasuke gave her the money for it.

"Let us know if you need anything else. We have a bathhouse you can use anytime, and we can cook for you as well."

"Thank you very much." Sasuke and Maigo were given keys for the room at the end of the room.

"Enjoy," the lady said as the two walked towards their room.

Sasuke opened the door to their room. As the two travelers entered the room, which indeed had the two beds, they took it all in. There was a small window that let the sunshine in from the outside. On the opposite side were the beds, separate by a night table with an oil lamp on it. To the left, against the wall adjacent to the door of the room was the wardrobe closet.

"Well, this'll do," Maigo said as he set his things down on the floor before them.

"Yeah, it will," Sasuke agreed. "Tomorrow, we should see to it to get ourselves some jobs."

There was a soft knock on the door behind them. Sasuke answered to reveal a young woman waiting at the door. Her eyes fell upon Sasuke, and she immediately blushed at his handsome face. "Oh, hello. I'm here to see if there's anything else you need for your stay here with us." She stammered out as her face remained red.

Sasuke appeared to take no notice of her reddening face. "Oh thank you, I think we're good." Then an idea popped in his head. "Actually, can you tell us where we could find some work around here?" he asked, gesturing to Maigo and himself. "We'll be here a while, and we'd like to make some more money for our travels if we can."

"Oh, sure," the girl replied. "They're always looking for people to tend and pick the plants nearby."

"Great, thanks," Sasuke smiled at her in gratitude. It made the young lady flush and ran away, giggling.

"Wow," Maigo said. "She really liked you."

"What, no, she was just friendly," Sasuke said dismissively.

"Hm, no one's ever been that friendly with me," Maigo responded. The blonde was a little jealous.

"Whatever, I'm going to unpack," Sasuke said nonchalantly. The sun was beginning to set outside. The travelers have arrived at their first destination, ending their day at the Howling Wolf Village. Tomorrow would bring a new day and perhaps a new adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These next couple of chapters are going to be an arc of sorts within this fic, as there will be several chapters involved with Sasuke & Naruto (still going by his alias Maigo) traveling across the lands to their final destination. Will Sakura find them at some point?
> 
> Fun fact - the Howling Wolf Village is actually a village in the Naruto universe. I got it from the Naruto fandom wiki, just lookup naruto howling wolf village and you should be able to find it.
> 
> Stay tuned :)


	10. New day in Howling Wolf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Christmas is here! I love Christmas. It's my favorite holiday of the year :) this year was difficult for obvious reasons, so I'm extra grateful for all the good in my life. I hope you are too.
> 
> I finally made it to chapter 10. Happy holidays & happy new year!

When Maigo awoke the next morning, Sasuke was already moving about and getting ready for the day ahead of them. Their breakfast was one whole piece of fruit each, and when Maigo was finally prepared, the two companions embarked outside to find themselves some work. The sun had risen a few hours prior, so there was plenty of activity in town. Most of the town markets and stands were open, even though they were small in number since the Howling Wolf Village wasn't that big of a town. Many of the people in the village were approachable. Others just kept to themselves.

While exploring the town, Sasuke and Maigo were directed to a person nearby that headed the harvesting of the medicinal plants. As they walked around, the two young men noticed some individuals hanging around one of the smaller town buildings. The building itself seemed to look rundown, a mere shell of what it appeared to be in its youth. Half of the group seemed dazed and entirely out of focus, clearly inebriated from some substance they all ingested. Maigo lingered, a bit curious about their behavior, but Sasuke dragged his blonde friend along.

Upon reaching the harvesting spot, Sasuke and Maigo quickly found the person in charge they were looking for. Sasuke approached them. Maigo followed as the blonde looked around and saw all the harvesters hard at work.

"Are you the person in charge here?" the raven-haired young man asked.

"Yes, I am," a lady replied. She was older in age, to be sure, a woman in her late forties by her appearance. "My name is Natsuo. Who are you two?"

"I'm Suto. This here's Maigo," Sasuke introduced his blonde companion. Maigo gave the woman a curt smile. "We came here looking for work and heard this was a good place to check. Can you take on two more people to tend to the fields here?"

"I could," she responded, her eyes grazing over both boys' forms. "Either of you got experience harvesting?"

"No," Sasuke answered honestly. "We don't. But we're both hard workers. We pick up things rather quickly. We could work today as a trial of sorts, and if you don't like us, we'll be on our way and not bother you again."

Natsuo shrugged. "No, we'll pay you for the day. I don't believe in making people work for free. If you do well enough a job, I'll keep you on. Go to Hina over there," the woman gestured towards a younger woman out in the fields. "She'll tell you where to start."

Hina was kind enough to explain how to harvest the plants properly. It seemed simple enough, so the two travelers quickly got to work. Both Maigo and Sasuke got the hang of it by the end of the hour. They were both given a warning, though. Under no circumstances should they continue working if they cut themselves with a tool while harvesting the plants. The reason was that some of these plants had hallucinatory properties if the residue of the herbs penetrated a person's bloodstream. The hallucinations wouldn't occur right away. Of course, it would take a few hours. But from previous incidents, it was alluded by Hina's caution that the occurrences never ended well.

In no time at all, the sun was setting over the fields of medicinal plants. Natsuo called it a day and sent everyone on their way. She handed out envelopes of money to everyone who worked today, who all gathered in a line to receive their payment. Sasuke and Maigo finally reached the woman, who mentioned that she'd be happy to have the two work again the following day. Sasuke suggested that he and Maigo should celebrate their new jobs at a local restaurant. Since the Howling Wolf Village was a small town, there wasn't much in terms of variety, but it was nothing our two travelers weren't already accustomed to. They went back to the place they went to the day before.

"Welcome back, boys," the cook greeted them with a friendly smile. "What can I whip up for you both?"

Sasuke and Maigo exchanged glances. "We'll have the same thing that we did yesterday," the raven said, as Maigo nodded in agreement. The dish was nothing special. It was a simple soup but plentiful in flavor and warmth. The two young men went to sit in a little corner of the shop while they awaited their food.

"So," Sasuke said, his eyebrows raised. "We got a job already, right on schedule."

"Yeah, who knew it'd be so easy to get employed so fast?"

"Guess we're lucky. But we shouldn't count on that. It may be harder to find work down the line, so we should make the most of the jobs we got right now. Make enough, so we're not hurting for money." Maigo approved.

"How long were you thinking?" the blonde asked.

"A month should be enough, don't you think?" Sasuke prosed. "We're not paying much at the place we're staying, so we should have enough money by then to make our way."

"Yeah," Maigo said. "She paid us way more than I thought. I don't think I've ever held so much money in my life before."

"It must be because the plants are medicinal, so they must be high in value, and you have to take care when harvesting them," Sasuke offered. "But to be honest, I don't really care. I'm just glad to be paid."

Maigo smirked. "Hear, hear."

"Here you are," the cook came to serve the young men their meal. "You two sticking around for a while?" They asked.

Maigo began eating his soup without delay, but Sasuke, not wishing to seem rude, decided to reply to the restaurateur before eating. "Yes, just for a couple of weeks."

"And y'all settled in okay over by that inn down the road?" the cook inquired. Sasuke nodded.

"Them's nice folk," the cook said. "They'll treat you right. I'll go ahead and leave you to your meal. You've been nice enough to let me bother you."

"It's no bother," Sasuke said.

"That's sweet of you to say," the cook expressed. "Enjoy your meal."

"Nice lady," Maigo commented as he ate his food. Sasuke nodded in agreement. The two finished their meals without further discussion. As they exited the room, the travelers bade farewell to the cook. As Maigo and Sasuke walked to their room, they passed by the group of men they saw hanging around the same rundown building in the morning. It seemed unlikely, but it was as if none of them moved from where they lounged all day. Among them was a man who appeared to be slightly older than the rest, with a large scar spread across his face, from the upper right side of his forehead to the lower left side of his cheek, along his jaw. His head perked up, slowly turning towards where Maigo and Sasuke happened to walk by. Maigo caught this man's gaze, and briefly, the two's eyes connected. The scarred man stared at the blonde, his eyes glassy and bloodshot. He stumbled as he stood up, dragging his feet as he walked towards the two travelers. Maigo froze as this strange man got closer to him. Sasuke looked back behind him to see the encounter playing out before him. He tensed, unwilling but prepared to fight if it came to it like last time in the woods a while back. Before anything terrible could happen to Maigo, though, the scarred man started to fidget a little. His facial expression became stiff with panic as he seized up and collapsed to the ground. He began to foam at the mouth, and his limbs twitched fiercely. Sasuke quickly grabbed his blonde companion by the wrist to drag him away.

"What? We can't just leave him!" Maigo said urgently. "We have to help him."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Sasuke argued. "I'm no doctor. Are you?"

"We can try to find one," Maigo suggested.

"In a town this small?" Sasuke disputed.

"The locals would know, like the lady who gave us the room at the inn," Maigo proposed. He began to run towards the inn in hopes of saving time. Sasuke followed him.

The pair of travelers burst into the inn's entrance, startling the innkeeper and her daughter. "There's someone out there that needs a doctor," Maigo blurted out in a hurry.

"Where are they?" the manager asked. Maigo told her where the scarred man was. All four people ran over to the man in need, but he went still by the time they got back. The foam that seeped out of his mouth turned red.

"No," Maigo breathed drearily. The manager bent down to check the man's pulse, but it was too late. He was dead. She nodded, confirming the stranger's fate.

"Shit," the blonde cursed, louder this time. Sasuke wore an expression of lament.

The manager closed the man's eyes. Other people were gathered to collect the dead man's body and prepare to lay him to rest. All the while, the dazed men in the corner remained still throughout the entire ordeal, paying no mind to what occurred. It infuriated Maigo to no end. He knew he shouldn't care. That it wasn't his business, but something about their apathy had him incensed. Maigo was about to storm over to the group, but Sasuke grabbed him quickly by the arm.

"Don't," he advised.

Maigo was taken aback, "what do you mean?" he said incredulously. "A man just died, and they just stood there and did nothing! You did nothing either!" Sasuke motioned for the blonde to quiet his voice. It only irritated Maigo further.

"Why do you think that is?" Sasuke whispered harshly.

"Because they're high off their ass," Maigo answered raucously. One of the people nearby perked their head up but thankfully returned to their ministrations.

"And why do you think they can just hang around there all day like that, hm?" Sasuke said. "Why doesn't anyone else here do anything about it?"

It was a good question Maigo had to admit, and one neither traveler could answer.

"Besides, we shouldn't be bringing attention to ourselves," Sasuke said. "That's why I didn't want to do anything before."

Maigo, still upset, shook his head. Of course, they remained wanted fugitives in other lands, so being in the center of attention in a small town, probably wouldn't bode well.

"Let's go back to our room," Sasuke said, finally releasing Maigo's arm. Maigo followed his raven friend, leaving the townsfolk to deal with the strange man's tragic death.

When getting to the room, Maigo flopped onto his bed. It was quite the day.

"I'm sorry, Maigo," Sasuke apologized as he lay on his own bed. "It's just I really don't want us to get into any more trouble."

"I get it," Maigo said. "I just hate when people act so…"

"Indifferent," Sasuke offered.

Maigo nodded, "Yeah, that."

"The world can be like that," Sasuke commented.

"Well, it shouldn't be," Maigo said at that. "A man fucking died, and nobody lifted a finger." His hair moved as he shook his head to and fro.

"I should have acted," Sasuke relented. "But I didn't. I'm sorry. I just felt like there was nothing left to do. But that's no excuse. You're right. We should be better, even when the world doesn't want to be." After a pause, Sasuke found himself chuckling.

"What?" Maigo spoke.

"Who knew you'd be so righteous?" Sasuke said slyly.

The blonde sucked his teeth. "Whatever, man. It's just; I don't know, watching all that go down. It's like it woke something up inside me. Like a part of me that I didn't even know was there, or a part of me I don't remember. It's weird."

Sasuke nodded. "No, I get it. I've had similar experiences." He thought of when he still lived with Misuto and Makoto when specific memories and feelings would rush back to him."I guess that means you probably were a very helpful person before. Perhaps even a hero of sorts."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Maigo said sheepishly. "I don't feel like a hero. I didn't save anyone."

"No, but you didn't even think about wanting to help that man. You just jumped into action, running to get help," Sasuke noted. "That's pretty heroic to me."

Maigo shrugged.

"I had a good feeling about you when we met," Sasuke said. "It's good to know that I was right about you."

**_We'll see about that, won't we?_ **

That chilled the blonde to the bone. _Oh no_ , Maigo thought. Just when he believed it was all over.

"Hey, you okay?" Sasuke asked out of concern. He observed the blonde's sudden look of terror.

"I-I'm fine," the blonde stuttered. "Just some stomach pain. I'll go sleep it off." He rushed off to bed, tucking himself in and turning away from his traveling companion, so he wouldn't have to see his face. Sasuke grimaced but didn't want to bother the blonde. While he meant what he said about meeting Maigo, he also had to admit the guy was a little strange at times. He supposed it was due to the traumas he must have suffered on his own. After all, when they met, the blonde was being hunted and jumped to his death. Who knows what Maigo underwent on his own before their meeting?

"Good night," Sasuke said to the blonde.

"Good night," Maigo replied curtly. Sasuke shut off the lights, calling it a night for himself as well. And thus ended their first full day in the Howling Wolf Village.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks Kurama ready to rear his presence back again. Just going to be waiting for his opportunity.
> 
> Also real thing from the Naruto universe, there are people in the Howling Wolf Village that I spoke about in the last chapter, that would take these plants and use them to get high. And bless sweet Maigo/Naruto's heart trying to help out that guy. He may have forgotten who he was but his heart is still there.
> 
> Stay tuned to find out what happens next :)

**Author's Note:**

> And that's chapter one! Sasuke's much better off than Naruto, who poor thing doesn't even have a name yet. These are two different types of amnesia that are affecting them and I don't want to get too technical since this is fan fiction, focusing on the characters and their emotional journeys. I don't want this fic to be a slow burner but I feel like it should because the condition the main characters are in is going to take time for them to get through and I don't want to rush things. Thank you to everyone who has read it; feel free to review if you're up for it!


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